Connor McDavid has raised the ceiling on his game and continues to wow his peers with his constant improvement, Sidney Crosby said.
"He's playing at such a high level, and when someone is playing at the level that he's at, it's hard to think that they can find another level," the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said Tuesday. "I think he's done that. I think that's the most impressive part about it."
Crosby and McDavid, two of the marquee forwards in the NHL, will face each other for the first time in 760 days when the Penguins visit the Oilers at Rogers Place on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; TNT, SN, SN1, SN360, NHL LIVE). They have not skated in the same game since Edmonton defeated Pittsburgh 2-1 in overtime at PPG Paints Arena on Nov. 2, 2019.
Crosby, a 34-year-old center, said the two-year gap hasn't stopped him from noticing the growth in McDavid's game, including a cache of highlight-reel goals the 24-year-old Oilers center continues to accumulate. He mentioned McDavid's spectacular game-tying effort when the forward weaved through four New York Rangers with 2:59 to play in the third period before Edmonton won 6-5 in overtime Nov. 5.
"I think it's an appreciation for how difficult that is to make the plays that he does," Crosby said. "The one against New York, that was late in the game too, it was the tying goal. That's the fun part. You don't want to be on the other side of that if you're on the ice, but you have a certain level of appreciation.
"That's fun to see. It's great for the game and it's great to see someone at that level doing what he's doing."
McDavid playing against Crosby and the Penguins has proven to be more challenging.
The Penguins are 6-0-1 against the Oilers in the games McDavid has played against them. McDavid has outscored Crosby 10 points (three goals, seven assists) to four points (two goals, two assists), but he and the Oilers are 1-3-3 against Crosby and the Penguins.
McDavid will try to change that this time in a clash Crosby said is always reason for excitement, especially when factoring in the presence of Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl, who leads the NHL with 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists).
"I think loving to compete and the part you enjoy about the game is the challenges every night," Crosby said. "Obviously he's one of the biggest, and Draisaitl as well. I just think it brings out the best in everybody. Obviously when you're going against Connor, it's quite the challenge and that's why you play."
McDavid said he feels the same way about Crosby, dating to his first game against him and the Penguins on Nov. 8, 2016.
"I remember being ready for that opening draw, all excited, and he snapped it right back," McDavid, the Oilers captain, told Sportsnet on Monday. "I didn't have a chance."
Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said he isn't surprised that Crosby didn't show mercy on McDavid five years ago.
"One of the things that makes all these elite players what they are, is, first and foremost, they're ultra, ultra-competitive guys," Sullivan said. "And they know what they're up against every night. And when we play certain opponents and there are guys on the other team that are elite players, there's a heightened intensity that for me takes place with all of these guys that are at that level. That's why they're the very best of their sport."
McDavid leads the NHL with 22 assists, is third in points (36) and first in power-play points (18). Edmonton is 15-5-0, one point behind the Calgary Flames for first in the Pacific Division.
Crosby has scored seven points (two goals, five assists) in nine games. He missed the first seven games of the season while recovering from wrist surgery he had Sept. 8. He played one game, then entered NHL COVID-19 protocol Nov. 3 and missed five games. He returned against the Washington Capitals on Nov. 14.
The Penguins (10-7-5) are 5-3-1 since Crosby's most recent return.
Though Crosby and McDavid will be foes Wednesday, they're expected to be teammates for Canada at the 2022 Beijing Olympics in February. Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said he's been encouraged by the performance of each player with the tournament approaching.
"It should be a fun game [Wednesday] for people to watch," said Armstrong, also GM of the St. Louis Blues. "Sid seems to be getting up to speed and finding his footing again. He's had a tough start to the season with COVID and an injury, but there's certainly no concern about him being up and ready to board that plane with us.
"And then Connor's Connor. He's been the best player in the game the last couple of years and he's on track to stay that way, with those sensational goals. I think it's what we can all get used to in the next number of years."
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