Sidney Crosby has been his usual excellent self. Evgeni Malkin had his breakout performance in Game 4. Matt Murray, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 22-year-old goalie, has been lights out.

But if you are looking for the Penguins’ best player in the Stanley Cup Final — which they lead 3-1 after last night’s victory over the San Jose Sharks — the answer is clear: It’s Phil Kessel, who may be one of the under-appreciated and misunderstood athletes in all of sports.

He’s getting his moment in the sun now, and man, it’s fun to watch.

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To understand the career of Phil Kessel, you need to look back. Look back at when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer at 19 years old, having just started his career with the Bruins. He fought his way back to the ice, and was awarded the 2007 Masterston Trophy, given annually to the NHL player “who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey.”

You need to look back at his time in Toronto. Though he didn’t ask for it, the Toronto media painted him as the star who would come in and finally lift the Maple Leafs to relevancy after the team traded two first-round picks and second-round pick to acquire him. The team immediately gave him a 5-year, $27 million contract, and the die was cast: He was there to save the Maple Leafs.

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It didn’t happen. Kessel was a skilled scorer but never felt comfortable with the job of Lifter of the City of Toronto. His shy disposition and discomfort with the rabid media did nothing to help him: As the Maple Leafs failed to make the leap, fans and media focused their ire at the man at the top, the guy with the big contract, the one who was supposed to change everything, the one who never seemed to say the right thing.

When asked about this time, his former Maple Leafs teammate Roman Polak, who is now on the Sharks, said it “destroyed him a little bit.”

It didn’t matter that Kessel led the Leafs in goals all but one season (and that one season he still led the team in points). Toronto never threatened to win a Stanley Cup, so this past year they shipped him out to Pittsburgh.

And then it all came together.

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Unencumbered by the weight of a city, Kessel settled in with the Penguins, where he was allowed to do the one thing he was always good at — score goals. Crosby and Malkin would be the ones answering the media’s questions after the game. When the team struggled out of the gate, it was Crosby and Malkin getting the headlines. Kessel kept focused, kept playing. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan was comfortable with Kessel for who he was, and didn’t ask him to do too much.

A few moves later, some games to get everyone acquainted, and everything started meshing for Pittsburgh. Kessel found soulmates in Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino, the happenstance line that’s been one of the hottest in hockey over the last month.

Now he’s on the verge of winning a Stanley Cup with his new team.

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“He’s been so good,” said Penguins forward Matt Cullen. “He’s playing such a complete game right now. He’s just such a dynamic player. Whenever he touches the puck, something good happens, and it’s not just shooting the puck. He’s creating, things happen with his speed, he’s finding open guys. He’s such a challenge for defensemen to handle. He’s been awesome.”

While Malkin was the one who may have gotten the headlines for his breakout performance in Game 4 on Monday night, it was Kessel who was my first star of the night. On the first goal, Malkin used his strength to hold off two defenders, but it was Kessel’s burst of speed through the zone that had four Sharks defenders keyed on him … which led to a juicy rebound for a wide open Ian Cole.

On the second goal, it was Malkin who put it in the net, but look who had the assist … again, it was Kessel, with an inch-perfect pass put on Malkin’s stick next to the goal.

Kessel will never be totally comfortable with the media. He’s never going to be as polished as Crosby, as physically imposing as Malkin. He is who he is. He’s come a long way in his career, but he’s still just 28 years old. He’s found a home and a role in Pittsburgh that makes sense for him, finally, and he might just win a Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts.

Even if the San Jose Sharks come back and win though — in which case, look forward to a similar homage to Joe Thornton — Kessel has done more than enough these playoffs to justify his position as one of hockey’s elite. He just needed a change of scenery, and now he’s thriving.