Sid and the scoring siblings
Category Crosby H. Sedin D. Sedin
Games 755 1,222 1,199
Points 998 1,004 973
Assists 630 771 606
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Updated 11 hours ago
On the chronological list of NHL players to reach 1,000 career points, Sidney Crosby will likely end up sandwiched between Vancouver's Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel.
As much as Crosby might appreciate becoming the 87th player in league history to reach that milestone instead of the 86th, he wants no part of the necessary slump that would allow Daniel Sedin to catch him and hit the four-figure mark first.
Perhaps Crosby and the Sedins will compare notes on their pursuits of 1,000 points Tuesday night when Vancouver visits PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins' captain needs two points to reach the figure. Henrik Sedin hit the milestone Jan. 21. Daniel Sedin needs 27 more. Other than Crosby, no active player is closer.
For Crosby, the conversation about the impending achievement grew tiring a week ago. Then it grew more frustrating after he finished without a point against Colorado or Arizona.
Crosby had not gone consecutive regular-season games without an assist or a goal since Feb. 24 and 27 of last season.
And he came close, ringing shots off the post in several recent performances.
“You're talking about a pretty fine line between a goal and not scoring,” he said.
“That's the way it goes. You trust it'll all come back together and add up and maybe I'll get some in bunches here soon.”
The Canucks matchup affords Crosby the chance to reach 1,000 on home ice and to do it in the presence of two other clever playmakers of this era.
Coach Mike Sullivan often has remarked about the importance of pairing Crosby with wingers who recognize the captain's give-and-go tendencies.
Until age caught up to the 36-year-old Sedins, they served as a borderline circus act because of their ability to find each other in tight space around the net.
Before he joined the Penguins in 2009 and became a fixture on Crosby's left wing, Chris Kunitz grew accustomed to defending the Sedins while with Anaheim.
“They know how to execute to get the other person into a better area,” Kunitz said. “It's something they've done throughout their whole careers and thrived at doing that, putting other teams and top lines in a position to really have to learn to defend them and always keep an eye on them.”
Sound familiar? Sullivan, teammates and even opponents champion Crosby's ability to hang onto the puck as the star center searches for chances to set up teammates. That's why Crosby leads active NHL players in assists per game (0.83).
“I don't think anybody is ever going to think the game like Sid can,” Kunitz said. “I think he knows what we're thinking most of the time, so it makes it easy on us that he knows where we're going to be probably even before we're there.”
Henrik Sedin led the NHL in assists per game in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
He has averaged 0.63 assists and 0.82 points per game during his career.
Daniel Sedin, the Art Ross Trophy winner in 2010-11, has averaged 0.51 assists and 0.81 points per game during his career.
Crosby's scoring became awe-inspiring again when Sullivan made speed the central element in the Penguins' identity.
The Sedins' best performances came when they set up camp in the opponent's end and cycled.
“I think they're totally different players with the way they play,” said Nick Bonino, who spent the 2014-15 season with the Sedins in Vancouver. “(The Sedins) slow the game down, I think. Sid is very explosive, protecting the puck, turning with it. They both protect the puck well, but I think Sid's game is a little bit faster, and theirs is a little more patient, slowing the game down to make it their speed.”
Patric Hornqvist prefers to distinguish the twins from Crosby in terms of finesse versus force.
“Sid is obviously more powerful than the Sedins,” Hornqvist said.
“But they both have really high hockey sense. That's why they're up there in the points every single year.”
Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.
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