Faceoff Factor

Two Crosby-Less Weeks--Not TOO Bad

Mike Adams | Inside The Numbers

Feb 1, 09:00 AM | Hype this story!

On this, the two-week “anniversary” of Sidney Crosby’s dreaded high ankle sprain, it is appropriate to take a look at how the Pens have fared since then. Most probably know that their record since that dreaded night is 2-2-1. But how does that compare to the rest of the conference? How has it affected their playoff standing?

In two words, not much. When Sid went down, the Pens had 55 points. They now have 60. When Sid went down, they were tied for first. They are now one point out. When Sid went down, they were six points clear of ninth place. They are still six points clear of ninth place.

Now, that doesn’t mean they haven’t lost ground to some teams. Here is how their point total relates to each Eastern team since the Crosby injury (where a negative number means they have lost ground):

-5: Boston
-3: Philadelphia, Carolina, Washington, Buffalo
-2: Montreal, NY Rangers
0: Florida, Toronto
+1: Ottawa, New Jersey, Tampa Bay
+2: NY Islanders, Atlanta

So, overall, they have lost a bit of ground, 14 points to be exact. So far, it has not cost them in terms of playoff positioning. But the hold is tenuous, and there was the All Star break in there. The big question is, can they hang in there on the periphery of the playoff race until Sid’s ankle heals? I’ll try to update this weekly so we can keep tracking their progress.