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Sidney Crosby addresses the Penguins identity and playoff chances
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby believes the real Penguins are the ones everyone saw in October and November, and believes people shouldn't count them out.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have stumbled through a brutal couple of weeks, a rough patch that somehow feels almost inevitable.
Coming into the NHL off a decent start to the season with modest expectations, the last 10 games have done little to lift them, with nine losses in that stretch pushing them toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
What Sidney Crosby said as he sat quietly in his locker room
Sidney Crosby, quiet at his locker after Saturday's practice at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, warned against writing the Penguins off. Even with this painful skid, one of the toughest slumps in recent team history, Crosby stays hopeful.
"I am," he said. "We still are right there. We just have to win some games. There have been a lot of games that we should have won but didn't."
"It's been tough," he said. "But in a bunch of those games, we were up three goals. So, the good news is, we were doing something right. Most teams would take that any day."
- Sidney Crosby
"It's been tough," he said. "But in a bunch of those games, we were up three goals. So, the good news is, we were doing something right. Most teams would take that any day."
- Sidney Crosby
Why this stretch of games ahead is crucial
They are just three points out of a playoff berth, but only three points ahead of Columbus for last place. That makes the stretch after the holiday break particularly crucial.
A winning run could restore the confidence that brought them through October and November, putting them firmly in a possible postseason run.
Defense has been the big problem. In the last 10 games, they've allowed 45 goals, 19 of them in the third period.
Crosby remains convinced that the team that burst onto the scene early this season is still in there somewhere, and the hope is that they can return to that form.
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 28 | 89 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby addresses the Penguins identity and playoff chances Who are the real Penguins? | ||
| October/November team | 54 | 60.7 % |
| December team | 35 | 39.3 % |
| List of polls | ||