How's the most gifted grinder doing? Part 2

 Here's Part 1:

I am just saying that for him playing against Ovechkin was the major factor, the main irritation, he can't stand Ovie, he can't stand the fact that he was robbed by Ovechkin of the Calder Trophy, he can't stand the fact that he is only the second best player, according to Bruce Boudreau and the hockey world. To me he is even the third best after Malkin, or maybe the fourth after Datsyuk.

So let's just make a scientific experiment to prove it, let's follow Crosby and compare him to Malkin from now on. Based on my theory Crosby should not be as visible as he was in the games vs Ovechkin.


Game 1

MALKIN, EVGENI 1 G, 1 A, +1, 6 S, 3 A/B, 1 MS, 1 HT, 1 GV, 67 F% CROSBY, SIDNEY 1 A, 2 S, 1 A/B, 1 MS, 1 GV, 55 F%

So far my theory works, Malkin was better in scoring, in faceoffs, in hits, in shots, in +/-. Basically Malkin was better than Crosby in every category.

Alright! My scientific experiment continues into game 2. And what we've got here?

Game 2

MALKIN, EVGENI, 3 G, 1 A, +2, 8 S, 1 HT, 1 GV, 1 TK, 50 F%. CROSBY, SIDNEY, 1 G, 1 A (secondary), +3, 4 S, 0 HT, 1 GV, 1 TK, 62 F% KUNITZ, CHRIS, 1 G, 2 A, +3, 5 S, 1 A/B, 1 MS, 4 HT, 1 GV, 67 F%

G=Goals A=Assists P=Points +/-=Plus/Minus PN=Number of Penalties PIM=Penalty Minutes TOI=Time On Ice SHF=# of Shifts AVG=Average Time/Shift S=Shots on Goal A/B=Attempts Blocked MS=Missed Shots HT=Hits Given GV=Giveaways TK=Takeaways BS=Blocked Shots FW=Faceoffs Won FL=Faceoffs Lost F%=Faceoff Win Percentage PP=Power Play SH=Short Handed EV=Even Strength OT=Overtime TOT=Total



Malkin totally outplayed Crosby, but it was expected. He outplayed Crosby in the first too, but this time he scored a hat-trick. So it's totally totally this time. Even Kunitz, who played 3 minutes less than Crosby has better numbers.

So far my experiment proves the trend, Crosby showed up vs Caps only because of Ovechkin. His best scoring/games were game 1 and game 2 that Pens lost to Caps.

Oh, congrats to Crosby for being selected the 8th best in the NHL.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

A lot of people in Pittsburgh think Sidney Crosby is the best player in the National Hockey League. A lot of players in the National Hockey League think otherwise.

In an astonishing survey of 324 NHL players -- roughly half the league -- conducted by Sports Illustrated, Crosby finished tied for eighth with a meager 1.9 percent of the vote.

Washington's Alex Ovechkin was the overwhelming winner among the players, receiving 51 percent of the vote. Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was second with 11 percent.

The next four were the Penguins Evgeni Malkin and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk seven percent; Calgary's Jarome Iginla and Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg five percent.

The magazine did not list the players who finished sixth and seventh but made a special note of Crosby's finish because it was so shocking.

The voting, in which players could not vote for their teammates, was done before the start of the playoffs. Crosby leads all players in goals and points in the playoffs. He finished third in scoring during the regular season, behind Malkin and Ovechkin.

Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins celebrates his hat trick with teammates. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
You could hear Crosby complaining to refs that the fans were throwing the hats for far too long.





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