Sidney Soars

Entering Monday's Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Carolina, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had 53 points in 38 career playoff games for an average of 1.39 points—highest among active players with at least 35 games played. The sample size is small (then again, Crosby is 21), but the pace is exceptional: When compared with those of the alltime top 62 career playoff scorers, Crosby's average trails only Wayne Gretzky's 1.84 and Mario Lemieux's 1.61. (Alexander Ovechkin has averaged 1.43 points but in just 21 games.) This year Crosby has finished as much as he has created: His 12 goals through two rounds exceeded the nine he had scored in 25 games over the past two playoffs.

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JASON REED/REUTERS (CROSBY)