Penguins intentionally lose faceoff in overtime to gain possession

The Penguins just played their most critical game of the season against the Detroit Red Wings in which they won 5-4 in overtime. The victory came in part due to an unusual move on the opening faceoff.

The game between the Penguins and Red Wings could prove to be a deciding factor in the Eastern Conference playoff race. With the 5-4 overtime victory, the Penguins moved into a tie for the second wild-card spot with the Red Wings. As they have the tie breaker, the Penguins are thus technically in a playoff spot right now. As we all know, winning the opening faceoff in overtime often determines the winner of the game. Thus, when the Penguins lost the draw it spelled bad news for the team. However, Sidney Crosby quickly jumped on the loose puck after the draw, winning possession back for the Penguins. As a result, Jeff Marek thinks the Penguins drew the play up like that, with the intention of losing the draw on purpose.





That being said, not everyone is buying his story. One fan responded flatly by saying it wasn't a designed play. This was the top response to Marek's post.




While Crosby did certainly raise suspicion by the way he was messing with his jersey prior to the draw, it seems more likely that he was simply buying himself and his teammates some time to catch their breath. However, it did also look as though he didn't put much effort into taking the draw correctly, so maybe he did get thrown out on purpose. After all, he was the won that won the race to the loose puck and he did so with a ton of speed and tenacity. We will just have to ask Sid about that play.

Source: The HockeyNews
Penguins Show Off Hockey IQ With Overtime Move