Pittsburgh Hockey Insider has no direct affiliation to the Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL or NHLPA
Sidney Crosby praises his teammates for bouncing back after embarrassing effort against the Maple Leafs
The Penguins have been off to a great start in 2025/26, but after giving up 7 goals to the Maple Leafs, Sidney Crosby has praised their bounce back on Monday.
Many expected the Pittsburgh Penguins to be one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League this season, but with their veteran group playing at their best and the youth energizing them, this is a team that's surprised many early in 2025/26.
With a record of 13-7-5, the Penguins sit in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, and while it's a long season, there's certainly optimism that this team can be a true Stanley Cup Playoffs threat this year.
Sidney Crosby full of praise for his team
However, the team were embarrassed over the weekend, giving up 7 goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs in their worst loss of the season as they fell 7-2 against Toronto at home.
On Monday, they got the chance to bounce back against the Flyers, doing exactly that as Crosby had two goals and Bryan Rust three points as they picked up the much needed 5-1 win.
After the game, Crosby was all praise for his team and their ability to bounce back from a rough outing, crediting the intense atmosphere of the matchup against a fierce rival for their performance.
I think when you have a game like that, you just want to respond regardless of who you're playing. But I think it helps. It was a pretty intense game the last time we played them here.
I think that, whether it's a combination of that or the fact that we didn't have a good one at home, I think anything that it takes to motivate you. But we were definitely motivated tonight, and you can tell with our effort.
I think that, whether it's a combination of that or the fact that we didn't have a good one at home, I think anything that it takes to motivate you. But we were definitely motivated tonight, and you can tell with our effort.
Ultimately, whether this team makes the post-season or not in 2025/26, only time will tell as 82 games is a very long season, but if they can bounce back from a loss like this, it puts them in good stead to make that playoff push that nobody saw coming.
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 2 | 57 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby praises his teammates for bouncing back after embarrassing effort against the Maple Leafs Will the Penguins make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season? | ||
| Yes | 50 | 87.7 % |
| No | 7 | 12.3 % |
| List of polls | ||