The No. 1 most-watched youth player in Canada. A No. 1 draft pick. No. 1 in scoring in his second NHL season. The No. 1 player in the league by his fellow players' votes last season.

Crosby's careerlong refusal to be anything but the best, highlights the most surprising element to the Pittsburgh Penguins' run to the Eastern Conference finals that start Friday night against Philadelphia. Evgeni Malkin, not Crosby, has been their No. 1 player in the postseason, and it's been evident.

''I think Malkin right now is the best player out of those three,'' Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, referring the conference's Big 3 of Washington's Alex Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby. ''Out of those guys, I think Malkin has a little bit of an edge right now.''

It's not as if Sid the Kid is stuck in some gosh-awful slump, although he has only two goals - one an empty-netter - as the Penguins have won eight of nine playoff games. His 12 assists lead the playoffs and his 14 points are one off the lead.

Still, Crosby looks uncharacteristically sluggish at times, unable to use his exceptionally strong lower body to fend off defenders. He's not been nearly as explosive in his skating or on his quick bursts to the net to snap off hard wrist shots.

Imagine that: the 20-year-old Crosby is having the kind of playoffs very few players will experience, yet is being asked if he's off his game.

''The middle part of the last series, I wasn't where I wanted to be, but the last game, I was a lot better,'' Crosby said Wednesday, referring to his two-assist game Sunday as the Penguins eliminated the Rangers by winning 3-2 in overtime. ''I think it's just one of those things where you get a couple of games that are tougher and that's just the case in the playoffs.''

What is uncertain is how much the high ankle sprain that sidelined Crosby for 28 of 31 games from mid-January on is affecting him.

Crosby insists he's fine, but he said the same thing in the playoffs a year ago, when he masked a broken foot until the Penguins were eliminated.

A reason for the Penguins to be alarmed with only four victories separating them from a chance to play for the Stanley Cup? Probably not. But a close-to-100 percent Crosby gives them a much better chance to eliminate a Flyers team that beat them in five of eight regular season games.

With accomplished scorers Malkin (6 goals, 14 points), Marian Hossa (5 goals, 10 points) and Petr Sykora (4 goals, 6 points) around him, Crosby isn't convinced he must be the top goal-scorer for Pittsburgh to win.

He may be right: Since the start of the 2006-07 season, Malkin has 86 goals in 174 games, counting the playoffs, to Crosby's 65 in 146 games.

''I'd say my first responsibility is as a playmaker," Crosby said. "As long as I'm doing that and creating things, it's fine.''

Playoffs schedule

Conference finals

Today

Dallas at Detroit, 5:30 p.m.

Friday

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday

Dallas at Detroit, 5 p.m.

Sunday

Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 5:30 p.m.

Monday

Detroit at Dallas, 6 p.m.

Tuesday

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m.