Crosby carries the Pens

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The memory of Sidney Crosby hoisting the Stanley Cup last year inspires the Pittsburgh Penguins more than a wall-sized photo of them shaking hands after a rare playoff loss ever did.

After losing to Ottawa in Crosby’s playoff debut in 2007, the Penguins drew a little extra motivation when they returned to the Canadian capital one year later to again meet the Senators in the first round.

Hanging on a hallway wall between the dressing rooms at Scotiabank Place in the spring of 2008 was a huge photo of the Penguins lined up for the traditional handshakes. It served as a humiliating reminder of their first-round loss to the Senators one year earlier.

Crosby then led Pittsburgh to a satisfying four-game sweep of Ottawa. That launched the Penguins’ recent playoff run that has featured two straight trips to the finals, including the franchise’s third Stanley Cup championship last year in a rematch with Detroit.

The Penguins can still thrive on Crosby’s determined play as they head to Ottawa for Game 3 today.

In the wake of adding the “Sidney Crosby hat trick” to hockey’s colorful glossary with a goal, an assist, and a game-changing save in Friday’s 2-1 win in Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ 22-year-old captain felt his team is finding its stride.

“We needed to get to our game, that was the main thing, and sometimes you get to your game and you don’t get rewarded for it, but we did a great job,” Crosby said after Pittsburgh tied the series 1-1. “It was great that we found a way to get the win. It’s not always like that.

“Going on the road now we know what our game looks like and we know what we have to do. Sometimes when you get to the road you simplify things even more and that’s not a bad thing for us.”

Anything that gets the talent-laden Penguins to take their game up a notch is a bad thing for the Senators, who held on for a 5-4 win in Wednesday’s series opener.

“They’re the defending Stanley Cup champions,” Ottawa coach Cory Clouston said Saturday. “They know how to win games. We didn’t expect to sweep the series. We know there’s going to be some ups and downs and it’s how you respond to those that are the most important thing.”