from Chris Johnston of Sportsnet,

Sidney Crosby can see the finish line now. An even loftier place in this great game’s history is within reach.

A man who misses no detail, who possesses an iron will to match his God-given skill, is doing absolutely everything in his power to grab it.

You saw it on the opening shift of Game 5 when Crosby sliced the Nashville Predators defence right open. Only 33 seconds had expired. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was ready.

"I had some speed and we had a pretty quick play, so I wasn’t sure if they were trying to get up and get their gap or if they were going to back up," Crosby said of the Roman Josi-Ryan Ellis pairing.

He sensed some indecision and barged straight through, hitting the right post behind Pekka Rinne with an off-balance shot. It resulted in a holding penalty to Ellis and, 41 seconds later, the opening goal after Crosby wheeled it out to Justin Schultz for a one-timer.

They were off. A defiant 6-0 victory followed.

"When he plays that way, it’s awfully easy to follow him," said veteran forward Matt Cullen. "There’s a lot of competitive guys, but I don’t think there are a lot of guys who can raise their level to where he gets to. When he senses the opportunity, it’s unlike anything I’ve seen, the way he steps up and raises his level."

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