's Recent Dominance A Reminder Of His

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[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]'s Recent Dominance A Reminder Of His Ability
Dec 22, 2010 - [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] tallied 77 points in 67 games during an injury-plagued 2009-10 NHL season that was widely regarded as disappointing. After all, coming off of an Art Ross-winning 2008-09 season,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], expectations were high for [link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Logic would dictate that those very expectations were a bit out of hand, especially considering [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] averaged over a point a game over the course of the season. What more should one expect? What more could one expect?
The start of this season began with [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] showing much of the same - consistent, solid offensive output, a bit under a point a game, but nothing approaching what we had seen two years prior. As November carried on, he began to fade as Sidney Crosby's scoring streak kicked into high gear.
Finally succumbing to a left knee injury, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] sat out for nearly two weeks. During the inaugural episode of HBO's behind-the-scenes NHL 24/7, which took place during [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]'s time off, he could be seen gleefully skating through practice, telling Dan Bylsma that he wasn't yet ready to play in a game, but was very ready to work the power play in.
The extra work must have paid off. [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] returned in a big way against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 12, scoring two goals on the power play in a losing effort. The following night, Geno did it again, scoring the Penguins' lone goal against the New York Rangers. Things were beginning to look up for [link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
On Monday night, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] put the entire NHL on alert, putting up five points during a 6-1 demolition of the Phoenix Coyotes.
No, fans shouldn't expect [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] to put up five points a night. This isn't a video game. What fans should expect is a [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] capable of doing this and, on occasion, actually going it. For too long, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych]g looked dangerous instead of actually being dangerous. No longer.
This was the [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] who made the Penguins' three-center model work, able to carry a line on his own. This was the [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] who forced people to wonder whether he was better than Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. Flashes of this dominance had been seen earlier, in November, when he put up a hat trick against Atlanta and three assists against Carolina. But that wasn't quite what we're seeing from [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] now, as he roams the ice with the gaze of a predator, looking for the kill shot.
At his best, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] invites comparisons to Mario Lemieux, showing incredible ability to stretch himself around defenders at will. For some time, that was gone, as [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] occasionally looked lost, frustrated, prone to the retaliatory penalty and unable to really hit top gear.
Since his return from injury, though, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] has shown that he may be ready to return to the dominant form last seen from him in 2008-09. For the Penguins' to truly become a Stanley Cup contender this year, he must.