Down with Pittsburgh: Is David Krejci an elite player

Dear Penguins fans and players. You may argue all you want but this fact remains unchanged. Through the first 3 rounds of this 2013 NHL playoff season, no player (including Malkin and Crosby) has played better than Boston's own David Krejci.

Debuting back in the 06, 07 season, Krejci played 6 games keeping his stat line livid with goose eggs yet did begin to pave a heartfelt road to a now prosperous NHL career. After returning to Providence the next season, Krejci was once again called up to Boston this time notching 56 NHL games and lighting the lamp on six occasions. From that point on Krejci was the rock that drove Boston's second line as he unlikely evolved into one of Boston's top centers. (a pretty decent feat seeing as he played for a team with Patrice Bergeron on it). Over the next few seasons, whenever Krejci's regular season scoring touch came under question, he would answer with a near perfect postseason.

In 2009, Krejci tallied just 17 goals in 79 games yet light it up in the playoffs scoring 4 times in 9 games including a 2 goal night in game six of Boston's first round 2009 series with Buffalo. One year later, Krejci caught fire once again. Scoring 5 times in the first 2 rounds Krejci went on to double that total in the conference finals, (3 of those additional 5 goals came in a game six hat trick)   and see his team to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 39 years.

Yet while that playoff record was admirable, the heroic performance of David Krejci in this years tournament has been truly magical. Through the first three rounds of playoff action, Krejci has played not only Henrik Lundquvist but also a Penguins team that allowed just 119 goals during the regular season making them one of the best defensive teams in the NHL. Nonetheless, Krejci didn't care. He scored 5 goals in the Toronto series, that including a game 4 hat trick that ended with an OT winner for the center. Then in the Rangers series, Krejci did not score at all but did tally 4 assists in five games to bump his postseason total up to 12 assists and 17 points. Yet perhaps the best performance of all has been that of Krejci in this conference final match up with Pittsburgh. Through the first three games, Krejci has never gone without a goal lighting the lamp 4 times on just 13 shots and netting his second game winning goal of the playoffs.

Say what you will about Crosby, say what you will about Malkin, but it has been proven. When Sidney Crosby gets beaten down, he stays down, when David Krejci gets beaten down he hops back to his feat, skates down the ice and gives his team a chance to win. When he is doubted he answer questions not with words but by a flood of goals and offensive prosperity. David Krejci is an athlete, a goal scorer and that: that is the definition of an elite player.