SAN JOSE — It was sometime near the end of the first period in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final when Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Sidney Crosby became one.
Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins captain, who had been protecting the puck behind the net, was trying to shake loose the San Jose defender. So Crosby spun left and he spun right; he took a couple of quick, short strides before stopping suddenly and reversing course. With every turn, with every stride, Vlasic was nipping at his heels until eventually the two became entangled and crashed to the ice like Peter Pan after battling his shadow.