Sidney Crosby slices through Tampa defense, scores beauty (Video)

After tallying a late first period goal to take a 1-0 lead, the Pittsburgh Penguins made the most out of the middle 20 minutes of Game 5.

Facing elimination in Tampa, the Penguins scored twice to put the Lightning in position facing a 3-0 deficit as the final period approached. Topping off the two-goal second period was Sidney Crosby, who beat a pair defenders with 26 seconds to go to notch his sixth goal of the playoffs.

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According to the NHL, the goal was Crosby’s 49th postseason tally and helped Pittsburgh build up a big lead after 40 minutes, something they’ve been dominant at keeping secure all season long (47-1-0). It was also the Penguins captain's third game-winner of the postseason as they would go on to win 5-2 and force a Game 7.

Meanwhile, hopefully Sid’s goal was enough to cool some of those post-Game 5 hot takes.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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