Sidney Crosby finally got on the scoreboard with his first goal of the postseason during Saturday’s 3-2 road win against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series.
But his typically reliable faceoff numbers have been in the red through the first four games of the series.
One of the best faceoff specialists in the history of the NHL, Crosby won 773 of 1,401 draws this past regular season, equating to a success rate of 55.2%.
Entering Monday, Crosby had won only 41 of 94 faceoffs in the playoffs, a conversion rate of 43.6%.
To be certain, not all faceoffs are created equal. Linespersons drop pucks differently. Draws in the offensive, neutral and offensive zones command different gravity. And faceoffs in the left or right circle can alter circumstances considerably.
But Crosby is usually much more proficient in that domain, regardless of the scenario.
“I’d like to get it better,’ Crosby said. “You want possession. They’ve got two guys that are pretty good at it. They can work off one another. So, I’ve just got to do a better job in there.”
In particular, Flyers forwards Sean Couturier and Christian Dvorak have been stiff against Crosby on draws. Couturier has won 17 of 23 (73.9%) of his faceoffs against Crosby while Dvorak has claimed 11 of 19 (57.8%).
Penguins coach Dan Muse suggested the team’s overall numbers — much of which is accounted for by Crosby’s participation — could be better and a group effort beyond the center could aid that pursuit.
Through Sunday, the Penguins were 14th in the NHL this postseason (out of 16 teams) with a success rate of 46.5% (106 wins, 122 losses).
“When you look at a center’s numbers, you’ve got to factor in that there’s a lot of pucks that are going sideways,” Muse said. “It’s not just on the center. It’s also winning some of these by committee. In general, I think we can do a better job of helping to help win some of these (faceoffs) by committee, some of these ones that are scrummed up — that are going sideways — and put ourselves in a position so that we can recover those.
“This year, sometimes our team numbers have been down and that’s usually been where we’ve been able to get it back to where we want it to be is when it becomes a little bit more of that mentality that we’re going to help win these by committee.”
Silovs remains in net
Penguins rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs is scheduled to remain in net for Game 5 on Monday after he made his postseason debut for club during a 3-2 road win by making 28 saves on 30 shots in Game 4 on Saturday.
He replaced Stuart Skinner who started the first three games of the series.
In the season opener Oct. 7, the Penguins, somewhat surprisingly, started Silovs and he made 25 saves in a 3-0 road win against the New York Rangers that largely set a tone for the entire campaign.
Since then, the team has largely stuck with an undeclared platoon in net between Silovs, current teammate Stuart Skinner, prospect Sergei Murashov or former goaltender Tristan Jarry.
As Muse explained, the team didn’t necessarily have firm designs on a platoon entering 2025-26. But, it wasn’t exactly an organic occurrence either.
“We felt strongly that we had guys who were fully capable of doing the job,” Muse said. “The workload didn’t need to fall onto just one person. As I said all year long, we’ll take it a game at a time and I meant that. Because you never know at some point maybe things will change. It’s a credit to them that we were able to use that. Everybody that has been in the net here for us has played a part. With (Silovs) and Stu obviously taking the great, great majority there. Both guys have done a really good job.”
Has this division of labor paid off in that both of their leading options in the postseason — Silovs and Skinner — are not taxed physically the way a typical starter would be after getting the bulk of starts during a regular season schedule?
“Does it help?” Muse said. “I think it’s good that both guys were always engaged, they were always ready to go. There was never that long lull of anybody not playing for a really long time. So, there was a rhythm that guys were able to keep throughout the course of the year, and they were able to build off the rhythm of the games that they were playing.”
Crosby appreciates Kopitar
Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar’s dazzling 20-year career came to a conclusion Sunday when his team fell to the Colorado Avalanche, losing 5-1 at home in Game 4 of a first-round series. The Avalanche swept the best-of-seven series, 4-0.
The 38-year-old Kopitar, a presumed inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame once he is eligible, declared his intentions to retire entering the season.
Also 38, Crosby was a member of the same 2005 NHL Draft class as Kopitar, with Crosby being selected first overall by the Penguins and Kopitar 11th overall by the Kings.
With each team in different conferences, the entanglements between Crosby and Kopitar were sporadic as they met in only 24 regular season games.
While Kopitar enjoyed a 13-6-5 record in those contests, both players produced identical base offensive figures, with each totaling eight goals and 16 assists.
Despite their infrequent on-ice meetings, Crosby has a great appreciation for his contemporary. After Kopitar’s final visit to Pittsburgh as a player — a 3-2 road win for the Kings on Nov. 9 — Crosby and teammates exchanged pleasantries with Kopitar and gifted him an autographed jersey.
One last time for these two @NHL legends ???? pic.twitter.com/oJhk7URUKS
— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 10, 2025
“Just so much respect for him, his game, what he’s accomplished,” Crosby said Monday. “Probably one of the most underrated guys for what he’s done over his career. Really tough to play against. He was so good on both sides of the puck. Right from Day 1, it seemed like he was so mature when he came to the league.
“Had some good battles but just so much respect for him and what he’s accomplished.”
