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Sidney Crosby confirms Erik Karlsson is the engine of the Pittsburgh Penguins following NHLPA honour
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Erik Karlsson hit 9-43-52 in 63 games, cracked the top 10 among NHL defencemen in points, and Sidney Crosby made it feel bigger than an award.
The NHLPA framed the week with the clean stat hit. Three straight multi point outings turned Karlsson from productive into unavoidable.
Crosby did the real heavy lifting after that. He did not talk about a heater, he talked about a defenceman solving shifts that look dead.
That is the detail that matters in March. Karlsson is not just adding points, he is changing where the ice opens for Pittsburgh.
His first pass is cleaner right now. His escapes off the wall are quicker, and his middle-lane feeds are forcing teams to back off early.
That changes life for Crosby's line. It also changes the second wave because Pittsburgh spends less time regrouping and more time attacking with pace.
You can see the moment the coverage bends, then Karlsson attacks the seam before anyone resets.
Then Crosby put the eye test into plain language, saying Karlsson creates offense even when the play looks finished.
"He's been incredible on both sides of the puck. He drives so much offense. I think not just with the obvious plays, but there are a lot of plays where it looks like there's nothing that can develop, and he finds a way to create something. That's huge, and it's tough to play against."
- Sidney Crosby
- Sidney Crosby
Erik Karlsson is driving the Pittsburgh Penguins
Fans can feel the difference because this version of Karlsson pulls defenders out of structure instead of just running touches from the blue line.
That is why this matters beyond one weekly award. Pittsburgh's attack gets wider, faster, and harder to load up against when Karlsson breaks the first layer.
It shows up on the man advantage too. Penalty killers cannot sit on Crosby as easily when Karlsson is walking the line with confidence.
The next checkpoint is March 21 against Winnipeg. Pittsburgh needs Karlsson to keep turning broken possessions into clean entries and second chances.
Crosby's quote landed because it was not hype. It was a captain spelling out exactly what still gives this team a pulse.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 20|93 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby confirms Erik Karlsson is the engine of the Pittsburgh Penguins following NHLPA honour Has Erik Karlsson become the key to Pittsburgh's late push? | ||
| Yes | 87 | 93.5 % |
| No | 6 | 6.5 % |
| List of polls | ||