Goals shots were hard to come by in overtime as both Utah and Pittsburgh only managed one shot each.
But it only takes one shot to change an outcome of a game… especially when Sidney Crosby is the one taking it.
“He has the ability to elevate his game. When the stakes are high, I think that’s when he’s at his best. He does it over and over and over again. He’s done it forever in this league so I can’t say it surprises me,” said Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
Yes, it was Crosby, who has delivered again and again for the Penguins across his illustrious career, personally handing Utah its third consecutive loss. This time, it was his first ever goal at Delta Center that helped Pittsburgh come out on top.
Before the goal, Penguins forward Cody Glass received a pass from Crosby after Utah’s John Marino and Josh Doan both disrupted Crosby’s lane to the net.
But with Doan choosing to block Glass’s space, Crosby quickly skated down the ice, gaining significant speed.
Picking up the pass from Glass, Crosby’s speed advantage over Doan allowed him to easily get in front. With both Glass and Rickard Rakell pulling Utah’s Lawson Crouse and Marino out of position just enough, Crosby was given a lane to work with.
With only Utah goalie Connor Ingram left to stop him, Crosby threaded the needle between Ingram’s outstretched leg and his left hand to score the game-winning goal, much to the dismay of Utah fans in attendance.
Related: Mikhail Sergachev Back For Utah’s Game Against Penguins
“We can’t be too negative about it, but we can’t be just ‘whatever next one.’ Can’t be like that. So we’re going to talk about it tomorrow, for sure,” said Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev.
At the start of overtime, it was Utah that created the best opportunities to win.
After Keller recovered the puck for Utah’s first possession in overtime, it took only seconds before Utah got its only goal shot of the period. With Utah’s Barrett Hayton slapping the ice to call for the puck, Sergachev passed to Hayton right in front of Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic.
Though Hayton was relatively open, Nedeljkovic disrupted the pass and saved the puck before Hayton could successfully tip it in.
Utah’s next opportunity would come after a Crosby giveaway gave Sergachev the puck right in the neutral zone.
With Utah’s Clayton Keller racing down the ice after receiving the puck, it was a well-timed blocked shot from Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust that prevented Keller from getting a clean look at the goal.
After withstanding a couple of shot attempts from the Penguins, Utah would soon get its final possession of the period.
Just as the Penguins were subbing players, Hayton noticed that only Pittsburgh’s Kevin Hayes was out on the ice. Quickly, Hayton skated towards Hayes and delivered a massive hit that would give the puck back to Utah.
Now with possession, Doan and Crouse subbed back into the game and started to work down the ice.
In Utah’s final possession, a pass attempt from Crouse to Doan was deflected by Glass, and shortly after, Crosby would score the game-winner for the Penguins.
Utah will need to find an answer for its recent third period and overtime woes if it wants to close the six-point gap with the Vancouver Canucks, currently holding the final wild card spot in the West.
”I think we just got to finish it off. They get one in the third and then win it in overtime. So if we can keep the lead in the third, then that would have been great,” said Utah’s Michael Carcone, who scored in the second period. “Seems to be happening quite a bit, but we need to learn from it.”
But until Utah can consistently win, the team will need to stay composed as it navigates its roller coaster of a season.
Up next for Utah is a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 31.
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