PITTSBURGH — In an exhilarating matchup, Evgeni Malkin netted the decisive goal during the shootout, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening.
Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier also contributed to the Penguins’ shootout success. Meanwhile, Alex Nedeljkovic came up big for Pittsburgh, stopping Alexander Wennberg in the fifth round of the shootout, securing the win for his team.
Crosby, who also scored in the second period, is now just one goal away from achieving a remarkable milestone of 600 career goals. If he reaches this feat, he will become the second active player and the 21st in NHL history to do so. Other goal scorers for the Penguins included Bryan Rust and Jesse Puljujarvi.
On the Sharks’ side, Erik Karlsson made his mark with an assist, enabling him to surpass Doug Wilson to claim 16th place on the NHL’s career points list for defensemen. His performance also tied him with Borje Salming for 15th place on the career assists list among defensemen.
Nedeljkovic was solid in goal for Pittsburgh, recording 26 saves throughout the contest. The Sharks found the back of the net twice courtesy of Tyler Toffoli, who scored a power-play goal, along with Mikael Granlund.
Toffoli and Granlund’s goals in the third period played a crucial role in the Sharks’ comeback as they clawed back from a three-goal deficit to force the game into overtime.
In relief of Vitek Vanecek, who departed after the first period due to injury, Mackenzie Blackwood put together a commendable performance for the Sharks, stopping 25 shots.
Key observations from the game reveal that the Sharks have now lost three consecutive games, and five out of their last seven overall. They also began the season with an unfortunate nine-game losing streak. Notably, four of their last five contests have been decided by just one goal.
On the flip side, the Penguins ended a three-game losing streak, bouncing back impressively from a 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets the previous night.
A pivotal moment in the match occurred during overtime when Blackwood thwarted Crosby’s attempts to score his 600th career goal, making a sliding save against a powerful one-timer from the right circle.
As for notable statistics, Crosby is on the verge of becoming the seventh player in NHL history to amass 600 goals while playing for just one franchise. Among Pittsburgh players, only the legendary Mario Lemieux (690 goals) has more goals while wearing a Penguins jersey.
Looking ahead, the Sharks will host the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, while the Penguins are set to welcome Jake Guentzel and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.