On a night when Sidney Crosby became the all-time assist leader for the Pittsburgh Penguins, they escaped a never-say-die New York Islanders team, splitting the home-and-home series with a 3-2 win on Sunday.
The home team, desperate for a win against anybody in the Metropolitan Division, got goals from Anthony Beauvillier, Michael Bunting, and Philip Tomasino.
Meanwhile, Alex Nedeljkovic was solid between the pipes, losing his shutout with about seven minutes to go in the third.
Thanks to the win and the two points, the Penguins are currently sitting in the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference.
Crosby Makes History (Again)
On Saturday night, Crosby set up Bunting’s powerplay goal to become the Penguins’ all-time assist leader. However, the NHL checked the tape and took the helper away from the Pittsburgh captain, giving him a chance to break the record at home on Sunday.
Naturally, Crosby didn’t disappoint, setting up Bunting (again) for a powerplay goal in the second period to officially become the franchise’s assist leader.
Interestingly, Tomasino picked up the second assist on the play. As a huge Penguins fan growing up, someone who loved watching Crosby play, it was only fitting that he was in on the historic goal that has rewritten the Pittsburgh record book for the first time since December 2005.
Penguins Almost Blow It (Again)
Thanks to an idle Ottawa Senators, the Penguins will go to bed on Sunday night sitting in the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. However, it almost didn’t happen.
Pittsburgh had the crowd on the edge of their seats for most of the contest, with Crosby and Bryan Rust even getting breakaway opportunities. Everyone was still excited after the team’s two powerplay goals to extend their lead to 3-0.
But after just six shots in the opening period, the Islanders kept pressing and got 25 shots over the final two frames, scoring two goals with an empty net in the third.
Despite their 41 shots on goal and feeding off the energy of a hyped-up crowd, the Penguins almost let this one slip away and only escaped with two points, thanks to Nedeljkovic’s stellar play.
Impressive Debut for Clurman
At 26, Nathan Clurman is, by all accounts, not a rookie. However, he did make his NHL debut on Sunday. On top of getting his first NHL penalty in the second period, he came close to matching a Penguins record for most shots by a defenseman in their first game, with four.