Shea-ved Ice: Blues Vs. Penguins Preview
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – After an incredible four-point performance in his return to the lineup, it's hard to imagine what Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins could have in store for tonight's game against St. Louis.
On Monday, the waiting ended. Finally, after 10 months of speculation and rumors, Crosby laced up his skates for an NHL game.
Crosby brought the sell-out crowd and thousands of fans at home to their feet just by stepping on the ice for the pre-game skate.
He made sure that wasn't the only time they would stand and applaud his efforts.
By the end of the night, he had racked up two goals, two assists and was selected as the game's first star.
Now, Crosby and the Penguins will look to keep the momentum going when they host the St. Louis Blues tonight at CONSOL Energy Center.
The Blues have been great at home this season (7-2-1), but their 3-6-1 record on the road leaves something to be desired.
St. Louis has lost their last two games and will be looking to get back on track against the Penguins.
Alexander Steen (eight goals, six assists) and T.J. Oshie (six goals, eight assists) lead the attack on offense with 14 points each.
The surprise so far this season has been in goal.
Anyone remember how good Jaroslav Halak was when the Montreal Canadiens knocked out the Penguins in the 2010 playoffs?
Halak has gotten off to a slow start this season with a 3-7-2 record to go along with his 2.57 GAA and .895 save percentage.
However, Brian Elliott has been phenomenal of late. He is 7-1 with a 1.43 GAA and a stellar .947 save percentage.
Against Pittsburgh, Elliott is 3-1 with a 3.06 GAA and a .914 save percentage. Meanwhile, Halak is 2-1 with a 2.61 GAA and a .907 save percentage.
For Pittsburgh, Marc-Andre Fleury continued his hot start with a 29-save shutout of the New York Islanders on Monday.
Fleury turned in arguably his best performance of the season while earning his second shutout over the Islanders in just under a month.
Against the Blues, Fleury holds a 2-2 record with a 2.63 GAA and .908 save percentage.
In case you were wondering, Crosby has four assists in five career games against the Blues.
According to the Penguins' website, the team is expecting to welcome its 25,000,000th fan at tonight's game.
Since their inception in 1967, 24,983,853 fans have attended a Penguins game. That number includes both regular season and playoff games.
The lucky 25,000,000th fan will be honored during the second period and will win a road trip to a Penguins game as well as an autographed Sidney Crosby jersey.
The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. and you can watch the game on Root Sports.
You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CaseySheaPens.
For More Penguins Coverage Check Out Puck Talk With Popchock.
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