A look at a key matchup in the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders.
When Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang arrived as the Penguins’ representatives at the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose in January, they were in search of a linemate for the three-on-three tournament. They lobbied hard for Islanders center Mathew Barzal to get the job.
“He’s pretty good holding onto pucks five-on-five,” Crosby said. “Three-on-three, it’s pretty tough to get it from him.”
Playing with Letang and Barzal, Crosby took MVP honors as the Metropolitan Division won the tournament. Now, less than three months later, they’ll be on opposite sides of a first-round playoff matchup.
How much Crosby and Barzal will square off head to head remains to be seen. In four regular-season meetings, Crosby saw plenty of all four Islanders centers — Barzal, Brock Nelson, Valtteri Filppula and Casey Cizikas — at even strength. When he was on the ice against Barzal, the Penguins had a 13-6 edge in shots and 2-0 advantage in goals.
In the big picture, though, both will be counted on to lead their teams offensively.
Barzal will do it with skill. He’s one of the world’s most amazing stickhandlers. Crosby will do it with an all-around game that has led many to label him the best 200-foot player in the sport.
In one alternate version of the universe, Crosby and Barzal could have been teammates in more than just the All-Star Game. Barzal was chosen by the Islanders with the 16th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. The pick originally belonged to the Penguins before they traded it to Edmonton for David Perron. The Oilers sent it to the Islanders for Griffin Reinhart.
