The Pittsburgh Penguins are one of the top teams in the NHL at the moment and their players are getting treated like it. As offseason awards are preparing to be handed out, Penguins players litter the lists of finalists. The team is preparing for Game 4 of their playoff series against the New York Islanders and will do so with a Norris Trophy finalist and Sports Illustrated cover boy.
Sidney Crosby is back and proving to be better than ever. He has only been back for one game and has already earned the cover of Sports Illustrated for their issue due on May 13. The headline reads, "It's Showtime, Kid. The Most Amazing Thing about the Most Amazing Player." It is part of the magazine's coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Crosby returned after missing 13 games due to a broken jaw he suffered on March 30. The captain made his highly anticipated return for the Penguins' Game 2 loss against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Crosby was able to make his presence known, knocking in two goals in the first eight minutes. In Game 3, the captain put up three assists as the Penguins got the 5-4 win. Despite missing a large amount of games, Crosby still managed to finish third in the scoring race. He finished with 56 points in 36 games in the regular season. He was passed the final week of the season to Steve Stamkos and Martin St. Louis.
As Crosby is handed the cover of Sports Illustrated, his teammate Kris Letang was named a final of the Norris Trophy. The trophy is awarded to best defenseman in the NHL, as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association. Letang was one of the top scoring defensemen with 38 points in the regular season, even with missing 13 games to injury. He topped all defensemen with 33 assists on the season.
The Penguins will certainly need Letang to show why he is a finalist as the team prepares for Game 4 against the Islanders, leading the series 2-1. This has been one of the more intriguing series of the playoffs as the Penguins were expected to sweet the Islanders. However, defensive mistakes have allowed New York to stay competitive make this series anyone's to win.