When will Sidney Crosby get the elusive 400th goal?

When Will Sidney Crosby Get The Elusive 400th Goal?

On January 14th against the New York Rangers Crosby scored goal number 399. Nine games later and Crosby still has yet to get his 400th goal. Sidney Crosby has accomplished a lot in his storied hockey career, but goal number 400 has been a difficult grab.

Crosby’s accomplishments list in the NHL is one that is only matched by the greats. Crosby was the youngest player ever to record 100 points in a season, and in doing so became the youngest Art Ross Trophy winner in NHL history.

The seven-time all-star has three Ted Lindsay Awards to his name, but the achievements don’t stop there. The ones that matter the most Crosby are his two Conn Smythe Trophies that go with his three Stanley Cup Championships.

400th Goal

Crosby has had a fantastic career, but he just can’t seem to get past the 399 goal mark. Obviously, with so many games remaining this season, Crosby will more than likely hit the target soon, but the question is, when?

At Dallas Stars – February 9th

This will be Crosby’s next chance at goal number 400. The Stars are an unfamiliar opponent for Crosby. Out of his 837 career games, only 12 have come against the Stars.

Even with the unfamiliarity, Crosby has still found success against Dallas. He has eight goals and seven assists. Dallas has had one of the best defenses in the NHL in 2017-18. Their 2.53 goals against has them ranked fifth in the NHL.

Crosby will have his opportunities just like he has his last nine games. The issue for him hasn’t been scoring, but he just has not hit the back of the net. He has had 13 points in the last nine, but they have all been on assists.

At St. Louis Blues – February 11th

(Photo Courtesy of NHL.com)

If he doesn’t get it against Dallas, he will have another opportunity two days later in St. Louis against the Blues.

In the Penguins first meeting with the Blues this year the Pens won in overtime 5-4. In that game, Crosby recorded a goal and an assist. Crosby has seen the Blues 14 other times in his career; with four goals and seven assists in those games.

Like the Stars, the Blues have one of the top end defenses in the NHL. Goals will most likely come at a minimum in this game, but with the Penguins explosive offense, there is bound to be some good looks.

Vs. Ottawa Senators – February 13th

If Crosby doesn’t record his 400th goal against the Stars or Blues, I think he will for sure get it against Ottawa. The Senators are a team that has struggled all season long. They give up the third most goals in the league on an incredible amount of shots.

The opportunities will be there when playing five on five and especially on the powerplay. Ottawa doesn’t commit a lot of penalties, but when they do, they are bottom five in the league in stopping them.

Crosby has played against the Senators 36 times in his career; including one meeting this year. In the first meeting of the year, Crosby recorded no goals and an assist. In his other 35 meetings against Ottawa 15 goals and 23 assists.

Conclusion

There is no doubt in my mind that the 400th goal will come within one of these next three games. Crosby is too talented of a player to go goalless for much longer. I think once he gets the monkey off his back he will start finding the back of the net again consistently. For now, fans of the Penguins and the rest of the NHL should just sit back and wait for history to happen.

Featured Image From Bruce Bennett

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