Sidney Crosby delivered a sharp rebuttal after P.K. Subban, Nashville's All-Star defenseman, alleged the Penguins star made fun of his breath Saturday night during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final.
On Sunday, Crosby fired back at Subban and took issue with the allegation.
"Yeah, he made that up. I didn't say that," Crosby told reporters. Subban said Saturday that after he approached Crosby from behind and then got within close proximity, the Penguins' captain made a verbal jab about Subban's breath.
When asked if Subban was trying to get under his skin and see how he'd react to the claim, Crosby agreed, saying "that's part of it."
"He likes the attention and things like that," Crosby said. "If he wants to make things up, what can I do?"
Things appeared to get testy between the star players toward the end of Nashville's 5-1 win, in which the Predators and Pittsburgh combine for 70 penalty minutes,
"He told me my breath smelled, but I don't know," Subban told Pierre Maguire during a televised postgame interview shortly after the Predators won to cut the defending champions' series lead to 2-1.
"I used Listerine before the game," Subban continued. "So I don't know what he's talking about."
On Sunday, Subban was informed by a reporter that Crosby would likely be asked about his claim.
"Are you guys gonna ask him that? Well, it'll be interesting to see if he says what he said last night," Subban said.
Crosby and Subban can continue their exchange Monday night when the Predators host Game 4 at Bridgestone Arena.