Tonight at PPG Paints Arena marks another chapter in the rivalry between Sidney Crosby and Edmonton's Connor McDavid.
It's an odd rivalry: McDavid has dominated Crosby statistically since the 2016-17 season, his second in the NHL.
Since the beginning of that campaign, McDavid has 289 points to Crosby's 243. He also has two scoring titles to Crosby's none. Two first-team all-star nods to Crosby's none. One MVP to Crosby's none.
But no one will concede McDavid the title of hockey's best player just yet because Crosby keeps popping up with the odd Stanley Cup, the occasional playoff MVP, a goal-scoring title, and an All-Star Game MVP.
Crosby's Penguins win more than McDavid's Oilers. McDavid participated in the playoffs just once in his first three seasons. If the current campaign ended today, he and Edmonton would again be on the outside looking in.
That's not McDavid's fault. Edmonton stinks. They have few good players. It's akin to Mario Lemieux’s salad days with the Penguins, when he didn’t make the playoffs his first four seasons and five of his first six.
But things got considerably better.
The head-to-head meetings between No. 87 and No. 97 are a microcosm of the rivalry: McDavid has more points by a 9-3 margin. But Crosby is 5-0 against McDavid. In their latest match-up Oct. 23 at Edmonton, Crosby posterized the Oilers' Ryan Strome en route to an amazing OT game-winner on the backhand (of course).
You come at the king, you best not miss.
McDavid keeps missing. He's the stats guy. Crosby's the winner, and still has amazing stats.
Eventually Crosby will age out of being hockey's best player.
Or retire.
You just can't ever count Crosby out.
Images Courtesy of Getty Images.