PITTSBURGH — In an impressive performance, Sidney Crosby netted two goals as the Pittsburgh Penguins triumphed over the Montreal Canadiens with a score of 3-1 on Saturday evening.
Blake Lizotte contributed an empty-net goal in the last minute, sealing the victory for Pittsburgh. Kris Letang, marking his milestone 1,100th regular-season game, added an assist against his local team. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic recorded 25 saves for the Penguins.
Montreal’s Christian Dvorak managed to score, while Sam Montembeault stopped 21 shots in goal.
Crosby opened the scoring for the Penguins with 4:03 left in the first period and doubled the lead with a power-play goal just 1:20 before the second intermission. His goals tie him with hockey legends Sergei Fedorov and Joe Nieuwendyk for 14th place on the NHL’s all-time game-winning goals list. Furthermore, Crosby surpassed Luc Robitaille, securing the 13th spot for most even-strength goals in league history.
In his last three games, Crosby has been a standout player, recording four goals and a total of seven points. This marks the seventh occasion Crosby has scored multiple goals in consecutive games, having previously scored twice during a win over Anaheim on Thursday. With five goals this season, he is now just three away from reaching the 600 career goals milestone.
Takeaways from the game include that the Canadiens have now lost three games in a row, having allowed at least six goals in their last two outings. Conversely, the Penguins have bounced back to win two straight following a disappointing six-game losing streak.
A pivotal moment in the match came when Letang maneuvered away from Nick Suzuki at the left point, delivering a backhand pass to Crosby. Crosby then unleashed a wrist shot that found the back of the net, marking Pittsburgh’s second goal. This play allowed Crosby and Letang to surpass Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty for the third-most goals by a forward-defenseman pairing in NHL history.
Noteworthy is Letang’s accomplishment as he became the first Penguins defenseman, the sixth active blueliner, and the 73rd player in NHL history to participate in 1,100 regular-season games.
Looking ahead, the Canadiens are set to host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, while the Penguins will travel to take on the New York Islanders to kick off a three-game road trip.
