Dan Muse responds to controversial Crosby moment and it’s raising questions
Sidney Crosby had Dan Muse fuming after Game 3, and the Penguins coach made it plain he did not buy the call for a second.
That was the turning-point angle out of Pittsburgh's 5-2 loss to the Flyers. Muse was not talking about effort first. He was talking about officiating and the moment he felt the game swung.
The biggest flashpoint was Crosby taking an embellishment penalty, the first of his career. For a player now 21 seasons into the league, that alone made the call stand out.
The play started on a faceoff when Garnet Hathaway caught Crosby in the face with a high stick. Crosby went down, officials got together, and what should have been a Penguins power play became 4-on-4.
Muse did not soften the response afterward. He said the Penguins did not have a single embellishment all season and made it clear he strongly disagreed with putting Crosby in that category.
That is why his line landed so hard. “Sid doesn't embellish” was not just a coach defending his captain. It was Muse telling everyone he thought the standard missed the mark.
Dan Muse on what changed: “When they put all the players in the box. There’s a scrum there, and we get the extra penalty. That changed everything.”
Also said he strongly disagreed with the embellishment call on Sidney Crosby — the first of his career.
“Sid doesn’t embellish.”
Also said he strongly disagreed with the embellishment call on Sidney Crosby — the first of his career.
“Sid doesn’t embellish.”
Something Dan Muse said about the Crosby moment is catching attention
The broader context made the frustration even louder. Pittsburgh had a 1-0 lead, and a man-advantage chance there could have pushed the Flyers into a deeper hole early.
Instead, the game started tilting in the second. A scrum filled both penalty boxes, 11 penalties were handed out, and Bryan Rust wound up with a double minor for roughing.
Muse pointed right at that sequence too. He said once everyone went to the box and Pittsburgh got the extra penalty, everything changed. From the Penguins' side, that was the break in the night.
Philadelphia took advantage right away. Trevor Zegras scored on the power play to tie it 1-1, with 19-year-old Porter Martone picking up an assist.
From there, the Flyers kept coming. Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored, and suddenly Pittsburgh was chasing a 3-1 game instead of building on an early lead.
Crosby's own reaction matched the mood. He said he did not understand how Rust got the extra or how he ended up with embellishment, but added that the team has to work through it.
"I don't know how Rust ends up with the extra on that," Crosby told reporters "I don't know how I end up with embellishment. It's hard to understand, but you've got to work through that."
That is the danger now for the Penguins. This is no longer just frustration over one whistle. It is a series problem, because Crosby has already taken 3 penalties through 3 games and Pittsburgh is now staring at elimination pressure.
Muse's point was simple and sharp. He was not claiming the whole loss came from one call, but he clearly believed the Crosby decision and the extra penalty on Rust cracked the game open.
Also read on Blade of steel :
Sidney Crosby sparks backlash after controversial move in Game 3
Sidney Crosby sparks backlash after controversial move in Game 3