Alex Ovechkin Defends Sidney Crosby

Everybody has noticed that the Sidney Crosby’s offensive output post-mumps has been severely lacking: with the star center having only one goal and zero points in the five games since coming back. But this cold streak began before the mumps, with Crosby only garnering one goal and three points in the last twelve games.

At the same time, Alex Ovechkin — Washington Capitals just beat the Penguins 3-0 — defended Sidney Crosby to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“Sid’s going to be fine. He got sick [with mumps]. It’s tough to bounce back right away. He’s one of the best players in the league. Teams give too much attention when he’s on the ice. Sometimes you think it’s easy but it’s not. You play against the best [defensemen], you play against the best defensive forwards. You have to do your job and they do their job. It’s hard.”

This probably means a lot, especially since it is coming from one of Crosby’s biggest rivals: and it is only a matter of time before Crosby, who has proven his worth beyond measure, breaks out of this cold streak. Crosby himself stated, “I’ve had some pretty good looks. A handful of breakaways. A few empty nets, too. Just burying those chances. I don’t think it’s anything with the velocity or location necessarily. I think it’s just finishing the play.”