Losing in a Game 7 is always hard to digest, but Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is no less proud of his team for that, believing they have thwarted the odds this year.

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The No. 87 Pennsylvania roster was keen to pay tribute to his teammates, despite the Rangers erasing a 3-1 series deficit with a 4-3 win Sunday in New York.

“Look at our group this year, began by saying Crosby in a press conference after the final game. You see the guys who had their career best year and everything we've been through to get to this point. A lot of people didn't expect us to get this far and even make it to the playoffs."

“We had high expectations and several guys contributed. For all these reasons, we thought we would still be playing. But it's hard. We did a lot of good things and the guys gave it their all.”

capricious leaps

Despite this setback, Crosby believes the Penguins have nothing to be ashamed of in terms of their performance. While he agreed that a few very short, more difficult streaks cost them dearly, he believes the game plan was followed to the letter and the Rangers took advantage of favorable puck bounces.

“I think we played the right way. You look at matchup number 5, we had a tough streak of a few minutes. In game six, that streak was even shorter and they got back into the game. [Dimanche], we were in on it and there were capricious leaps.

“We played a great game [on Sunday] and good hockey in the series. We didn't score the goal that made the difference, but even when we had the lead we played the right way. [Dimanche] is the perfect example that anything can happen in a game.”

The end of an era?

Now, the core team of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang, which has contributed heavily to the club's last three Stanley Cup titles, could be dismantled. But minutes after the loss, Crosby didn't feel like elaborating on the subject too much.

"It's a possibility," Crosby said. But I think you're trying not to think about that too much. You hope to have a long run in the playoffs. It's still stuck in your head."

Malkin and Letang will both be unrestricted free agents in July.

"It's not my decision. Obviously, I had great experiences playing with his players this year. I know what they bring."