Sidney Crosby blows rocket backhander past Antti Niemi

Sidney Crosby scored an incredible backhand goal Monday night, breaking down the right wing and rifling the puck hard enough that Antti Niemi may not have even seen it. It was Crosby’s 22nd goal of the season.

When you’re arguably the greatest player in the world, there are certain skills you have that others may not. Some may be intangible things like hockey sense or a leadership quality, while others, like say the ability to shot as hard on your backhand as others can forehand, shine through as plain as day.

So, while there are many things about Sidney Crosby’s game that hockey fans can appreciate like his strength on the puck or his knack for finding holes in defensive zone coverage, sometimes it’s fun to just watch him absolutely destroy a puck with his backhand. Check out this laser of a backhander he blasted by San Jose’s Antti Niemi during Monday’s game:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkyMrZf5hL8[/embed]

It’s been said that backhand shots are some of the toughest for goaltenders to stop because it’s difficult to read where exactly the shot is going. Crosby’s backhand might be even more problematic because it’s coming at you with the speed of some wrist shots. It was his 22nd goal of the season.

The tally came midway through the third period and brought the Penguins to a 1-1 tie with the Sharks, but Pittsburgh fell in the shootout. With the loss, the Penguins, with two games in hand, sit four points back of the New York Islanders for first place in the Metropolitan Division.