Chris Conner, of Course, Leads Penguins to Victory

NEW YORK -- On Monday morning, Chris Conner wasn't even on the Penguins roster. On Monday night, he played on Sidney Crosby's right wing and scored twice -- including the game-winner -- in Pittsburgh's 4-2 win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

"Not a bad couple of hours for Chris, huh?" asked the winning goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury.

At 11 in the morning, Conner was getting ready to practice with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes Barre/Scranton. When he was informed by Baby Pens head coach Todd Reirden that the big club needed him, Conner was so excited, he ... well, he continued practicing with the minor league club.

"I had to get a skate in," shrugged the 26-year-old right wing after the game.

Conner made the two-hour drive to New York by himself, arriving in the big city at 3:00 pm. A veteran of 78 NHL games, the 5-8 speedster knows this drill well. The previous three seasons, he was a depth forward for the Dallas Stars and often found himself on the wing of another future Hall of Famer before Pittsburgh signed him as a free agent.

"We like that Chris played with Mike Modano in Dallas and knows how to thrive in these call-up situations," said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma, who added that Conner earned the promotion by his strong play over the weekend in the AHL. "You put him on the wing with Sidney and you know you'll get speed, a forecheck and a net-front presence."

With his wife Lindsay and 11-month-old son Caden in the Garden stands, Conner scored just 2:47 into the game off a pass from Crosby on a 3-on-2. After Evgeni Malkin tied the game at two at 9:46 of the third, Conner scored the game-winner -- again from Crosby -- exactly one-minute later.



"I'd put this game right up there with my first NHL game and my first NHL goal," said Conner, a native of Westland, Mich. who played four seasons at Michigan Tech before signing with Dallas. Asked when he thought the events of the day might ever seem real, Conner said, "I don't know if they ever will."

On this night, the defending Stanley Cup champions were grateful for the extra step provided by Connor, who returned to the AHL after the game.

"When someone like Chris comes up from the minors and makes the most of his opportunity, we're all the better for it," said Crosby. "He probably worked harder tonight than anyone on our team. You see Chris, how talented he is, how hard he works, how much he wants it, and it's a reminder of how lucky we are. It also illustrates for us how there's always competition for your spot in the lineup."