The Penguin captain teams with Evgeni Malkin as the game’s best 1-2 punch. It’s Malkin who gives us fits, always seeming to find twine on Henrik Lundqvist. His second goal in 2013 held up as the winner. The former Conn Smythe winner also added a helper.

If you’ve followed the game closely, you know the two Pens’ superstars get away with a lot of crap. At least NHL officials started to penalize Malkin for his repeated stick swinging. As for Crosby, the league’s darling remains untouchable. It seems he can get away with almost anything. There were at least three instances when he easily could’ve been called for infractions. Instead, the refs turned a blind side, cow towing to the crown prince.

He drew a penalty on Dan Girardi by flopping to the ice. Girardi is one of the league’s best defensive defensemen, who rarely is penalized. Everyone knows what an actor Crosby is. He later bumped into Henrik Lundqvist, who didn’t appreciate it. A reoccurence of an incident that happened last year with the two stars exchanging words. Again, there was no call. He later chopped Girardi.

It’s sadly predictable that the league continues to ignore Crosby’s antics. If he wants to play the game with the same edge that made him successful, expect him to get it in return. Considering his concussion history, he is a target. Until the officials end their double standard, the Pens’ superstar is going to put himself at risk. Next time, he might not be so lucky.