Everything has been leading to this moment, this game, this night in Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby touched the ice for an NHL game for the first time in 61 regular-season games and, my goodness, was it something to behold.
1 Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins – Was there ever any question? Crosby goes almost a year between games then returns with a two-goal, two-assist performance, every bit as dominant as he was before he was concussed. By the way, the Penguins beat the Islanders 5-0. It was like The Kid never left.
2 Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins – Were it not for the masterful performance in Pittsburgh, Thomas’s praises would be sung in the number one slot. He stopped all 33 shots he faced and Andrew Ference had the lone goal for the Bruins as they downed their rival Montreal Canadiens 1-0.
3 Jeff Carter, Columbus Blue Jackets – It might surprise you to learn that Jeff Carter still knows how to score goals. In fact, he scored two for Columbus in a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames to lead the Blue Jackets to their second straight win. Antoine Vermette also scored and Rick Nash potted an empty-net goal late in the third, while Curtis Sanford made 27 of 28 saves for the Jackets.
Play of the Night
It could be easy to overstate the significance of Crosby’s marvelous night, so instead of pouring on superlatives, just watch his four points:
Goal of the Night
So good was Crosby’s night, it pushed this marvelous goal by Vermette out of the limelight, so we’ll put it back where it belongs:
Save of the Night
Sometimes when Martin Brodeur is in net, all you can do is laugh in awe:
.png)
