Sidney Crosby delivers supernatural, no-look nutmeg pass for absurd assist

Sidney Crosby wants his name to remain firmly in the "best in the world" conversation.

On Tuesday night against the Coyotes, the Penguins star dished up an absolutely absurd pass to teammate Bryan Rust to convert for one of the easiest goals of his career.

Rust, schmust. This opening goal for the Penguins is all about Sid. It isn’t just enough for him to have the awareness to make a split-second decision and connect with a pass between his legs, but to not even have a twitch in his neck, or even need to take a glance to the other side of the ice to see what Penguins players are there, is just insane.

And he didn’t even just dish it through his own legs, either. Crosby managed to catch veteran defenseman Anton Stralman by surprise — standing right behind him, looking at every single thing that Crosby’s doing — and had the puck glide between his skates to the open Rust.

It would be impressive enough if this was an improvised play from Rust and Sidney, but you can almost bet your mortgage on the fact that they ran that goal scenario a few times in practice.

At the age of 34, the kid from Cole Harbour sometimes takes a backseat when hockey fans discuss who the most talented players in the world are, but he definitely shouldn't. Crosby finished the game against the Coyotes with a goal and two primary assists, moving his season total to 11 goals and 34 total points in 30 games.

It’s not the most eye-popping of a season that the 17-year NHL star has ever had, but his Penguins remain in the hunt for a fourth championship in the modern era. After Tuesday’s 6-3 win, Pittsburgh has earned a 27-10-5 record and are keeping alive in the race to clinch their 16th consecutive playoff.

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