PITTSBURGH – In an eventful night, Sidney Crosby achieved the remarkable feat of scoring his 600th career NHL goal while playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, yet the team suffered a significant 6-1 defeat against the Utah Hockey Club.
Dylan Guenther was particularly impactful for Utah, registering two goals, while teammates Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain, Mikhail Sergachev, and Alexander Kerfoot also contributed to the scoring. Goaltender Karel Vejmelka was a stalwart in net for Utah, turning away 27 shots throughout the match.
Crosby’s historic goal made him the 21st player in NHL history to reach the 600-goal milestone. He achieved this significant landmark with just 10 seconds remaining on a five-on-three power play, scoring a one-timer from the right side with the help of a pass from Erik Karlsson early in the second period. This goal brought Crosby’s total to seven in his previous 12 games.
In addition to Crosby’s achievement, Karlsson marked a personal milestone by passing Borje Salming to take 15th place on the NHL’s all-time assists list for defensemen. Meanwhile, Alex Nedeljkovic, the Penguins’ goaltender, recorded 24 saves during the game.
Notably, Crosby and fellow NHL star Alex Ovechkin are the only active players to have reached the 600-goal milestone. Moreover, Crosby has joined an elite group as he is the seventh player in league history to score 600 goals while playing for a single team, being alongside Mario Lemieux, who scored 690 goals, as the only two players to achieve this feat within the Penguins’ franchise. With this accomplishment, Pittsburgh is now only the second team ever to have multiple players with 600 career goals, following the Detroit Red Wings with legends Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman.
Takeaways from the game indicate that the Utah Hockey Club ended a three-game losing streak, while the Penguins are still reeling from recent struggles, having lost 14 out of their last 18 matches. The team has also conceded four or more goals in six of their last ten games, raising concerns about their defensive play.
A pivotal moment of the match was when Bjugstad, who previously played for the Penguins for parts of two seasons, extended Utah’s lead to 3-1 just over seven minutes after Crosby’s notable goal.
An interesting statistical note highlights that Crosby and Wayne Gretzky are the only two players in NHL history to have at least 600 goals, 1,600 points, three Stanley Cups, and two Conn Smythe trophies to their name.
Looking ahead, the Utah Hockey Club will be facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, while the Penguins will conclude their five-game homestand on Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.