Chin Up Sid

You can tell this is killing Sidney Crosby. But the NHL's youngest captain has set an excellent example for his team to follow. Such as:

--A 17 game (and counting) point streak, which has tied him with Henrik Zetterberg for the NHL's lead.

--On pace to score 46 goals!

--Taking the 3rd most faceoffs in the NHL so far, winning 55.0% of his draws, a huge personal improvement over last year (49.8% for the entire year). Other notable centers so far: Joe Thornton (62.6%), Rod Brind'Amour (55.4%), Mats Sundin (54.0%), Vincent Lecavalier (46.1%), Eric Staal (45.8%). Remember folks, Crosby is still 20 years old. He's showing improvement that other young center (Staal, Lecavalier) are not.


And, in general, let's find some bright spots for the Penguins:

``Evgeni Malkin joins Crosby at the top of the assists lead, with 17.

``Mark Eaton is 5th in the NHL with 48 blocked shots. Which makes you appreciate just how skilled the best at this craft is (Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov is 1st in the NHL with 72 blocked shots in 16 games).

``Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi share 27th in the NHL in blocked shots; each of them blocking 32.

``Orpik is 6th among defensemen in the league in hits, being credited with 47.
It's not all doom and gloom....Just 95%!