Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby will appear in his 413th National Hockey League game Monday night at Consol Energy Center. Might not seem like it, though. Not to what could be the most-energized crowd in the young arena's history. And certainly not to Crosby, who has not participated in one since being diagnosed with a concussion Jan. 6. For that reason, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said Sunday that Crosby figures to experience the emotions and excitement of a guy competing at this level for the first time.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, a.k.a. Team Sizzle, will take an 11-game winning streak into the Wells Fargo Center for Sunday's 12:30 p.m. contest against the Flyers. Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have returned from injuries, bolstering the Penguins' already-dynamic lineup. "They seem to be rolling through the league right now, so isn't that exciting?" coach Peter Laviolette said after the Flyers' 3-2 shootout loss in Boston on Saturday. "Coming into our building. Life's good.

It was supposed to be the grand unveiling of the NHL's hottest new commodity, but it turned into a showcase for a familiar old face. While the debut of 18-year-old Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby had received Gretzky-like proportions of publicity, it was New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur who showed he hasn't lost his ability to rip out a team's collective heart. Hockey returned to New Jersey last night, and Brodeur looked as if he had never been on hiatus as he led the Devils to a 5-1 win over the Penguins at Continental Airlines Arena.

IF YOU'RE not from Philly and you wander into Wednesday night's Flyers playoff game, you'll hear the high-pitched chants of little children blending with the roars of their proud parents, and you'll assume that the Pittsburgh Penguins have a star player named "Crosby Sucks. " On Sunday, as the Flyers clobbered the Penguins, 8-4, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff, Crosby Sucks repeatedly started fights, knowing that his teammates would finish them to preserve his concussion-prone head.

Hockey phenom Sidney Crosby won the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League scoring title this season at age 17. Not even Mario Lemieux achieved that distinction at such a young age. Some people have called Crosby the next Lemieux. After being drafted No. 1 in 1984 by Pittsburgh, Lemieux went on to have a storied career as a Penguin, winning two Stanley Cups. How apropos then, that yesterday in a weighted draft lottery - in which Pittsburgh had only three of the 48 Ping-Pong balls - the Penguins won the top pick for next Saturday's draft in Ottawa.

BARKOWITZ Flyers' points: 93 Eastern finalists: Rangers over Lightning Western finalists: Red Wings over Ducks Stanley Cup winner: Red Wings Stanley Cup runner-up: Rangers MVP: Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: NHL scoring champ: Sidney Crosby, Penguins Vezina Trophy winner: Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers Flyers' scoring leader: Danny Briere Danny Briere points: 90 More points, Carter or Richards: Richards ...

1. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins: Scored 2 goals and was physical force throughout. 2. Mike Richards, Flyers: Scored 2 goals and played with great intensity. 3. Sidney Crosby, Penguins: Scored special goal off pass from Marian Hossa.

The Flyers can match the Penguins' speed, and their young players may make them a bit hungrier. In addition, Ilya Bryzgalov is one of the hottest goalies in the universe. But . . . The Penguins have more firepower. Sidney Crosby, certified Flyers killer, will be the difference as the Penguins win a hard-fought series that goes the limit. PICK: Penguins in seven. - Sam Carchidi

THE GRITTY TABLOID that has served Philadelphia so well over the past 87 years was placed in the lap of Penguins center Sidney Crosby on Wednesday morning. Crosby, 24, said he had not seen Wednesday's Daily News - which featured him dressed as the Cowardly Lion with the headline "The Cowardly Penguin: Time to Finish Off Sniveling Sidney. " Crosby picked up the paper and laughed. "That's probably one of the nicer things they've said about me here," Crosby said.

So this is how Flyers defenseman Erik Gustafsson, nervous rookie, played in the second NHL playoff game of his young-but-rising career: He frustrated Pittsburgh superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in even-strength situations. He blocked a team-high seven shots. He scored a key goal that gave the Flyers a 3-0 lead en route to a series-clinching, 5-1 win Sunday over a Penguins team that, before the playoffs started, was favored to drink from the Stanley Cup. "Gus was unbelievable from start to finish," said Mr. Postseason himself, Danny Briere, who scored his fifth goal of the series.

Sidney Crosby was making no excuses. On a day that his Pittsburgh Penguins team needed him to recapture his Stanley Cup-winning past, Crosby's lack of production drew notice. The Flyers closed out their first-round series with the Penguins with Sunday's 5-1 win at the Wells Fargo Center, winning this sometimes crazy matchup four games to two. On the surface, Crosby's statistics looked solid - three goals and five assists for eight points in the six games. Yet Crosby didn't register a point in the final two games.

What is it about Sidney Crosby that makes people so crazy? Is it his face, that crinkled half-smirk and that fuzzy, pubescent mustache that makes it seem as if he's constantly projecting superiority? Is it the fact that he's a classic hit-and-runner, a player who likes to stir up trouble, then scurry for protection? Is it the fact that he is, in every sense of the word, a weasel - a guy who in the midst of frustration, pulls hair and swats a hockey glove away from an opponent?

Sidney Crosby was making no excuses. On a day that his Pittsburgh Penguins team needed him to recapture his Stanley Cup winning past, Crosby's lack of production drew notice. The Flyers closed out their first-round series with the Penguins with Sunday's 5-1 win at the Wells Fargo Center, winning this sometimes crazy series 4 games to 2. On the surface, Crosby's statistics looked solid, three goals and five assists for eight points in the six games. Yet Crosby didn't register a point in the final two games.

THE GRITTY TABLOID that has served Philadelphia so well over the past 87 years was placed in the lap of Penguins center Sidney Crosby on Wednesday morning. Crosby, 24, said he had not seen Wednesday's Daily News - which featured him dressed as the Cowardly Lion with the headline "The Cowardly Penguin: Time to Finish Off Sniveling Sidney. " Crosby picked up the paper and laughed. "That's probably one of the nicer things they've said about me here," Crosby said.

SIDNEY CROSBY showed the heart of a lion Wednesday night. With his team facing elimination and an entire arena spewing venom every time he made a move, Crosby led an emphatic charge that let the Flyers know the Penguins were not ready to be swept out of the playoffs. "We always had the confidence. It was just a matter of going out there and playing a full game," Crosby said. "I think the rivalry brings out the best in a lot of guys from both sides. When you are challenged, you want to make sure you play well and respond the right way. " Crosby had a goal and two assists as the Penguins erased an early two-goal deficit and flattened the Flyers, 10-3.

BEFORE a goal-crazy, seesaw first period turned into a Flyers disaster on Wednesday night, Broad Street Bully enjoyed chilling with the fired-up faithful. CLEANING THE GLASS: While the Penguins warmed up, Jon Ostroff of Plymouth Meeting placed his butt against the glass behind the goal and began a slow grind. "I'm giving them a little bit of this," Ostroff said, shaking his generous butt at the Penguins. "And a lot of that," he said, turning, raising his shirt and belly-mooning the Pens.

Sidney Crosby instigated a lot of the scrums during the Flyers' wild 8-4 win Sunday, but the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar downplayed the actions after his team's practice Tuesday. Told that some Penguins fans were embarrassed by his team's display, Crosby went on the defensive. "The tough part is, if they were in this room, they would see how much each guy cares," Crosby said. "It's more than one team that's doing that stuff out there. They should have nothing to be embarrassed about.

IF YOU'RE not from Philly and you wander into Wednesday night's Flyers playoff game, you'll hear the high-pitched chants of little children blending with the roars of their proud parents, and you'll assume that the Pittsburgh Penguins have a star player named "Crosby Sucks. " On Sunday, as the Flyers clobbered the Penguins, 8-4, to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff, Crosby Sucks repeatedly started fights, knowing that his teammates would finish them to preserve his concussion-prone head.

THE BIG BET last summer was that Claude Giroux could do this. The big bet when Mike Richards was traded away, and Jeff Carter, too, was that Giroux would become more than just a great scorer, more than just a great playmaker. He would fill the emotional leadership role as well, or at least part of it. So there he was, just 12 minutes into the latest on-ice insanity that has defined this series, jumping in front of Sidney Crosby after the NHL's purported top attraction had just taken three hacks at Ilya Bryzgalov's glove after the whistle, after Sid had - in the best Matthew Barnaby imitation seen here since, well, Matthew Barnaby - flipped away Jakub Voracek's glove as the Flyers forward reached to get it off the ice. Giroux said he stepped in because Crosby's next target was Kimmo Timonen.