Game Notes
Jesse Puljujarvi has four points (2G-2A) in seven career games against the Hurricanes. He enters tonight’s game with points in each of his last three games (1G-2A) that he’s dressed and is tied for fourth on the team in points.
Sidney Crosby’s next game-winning goal will move him into a six-way tie for 16th place on the NHL’s all-time game-winning goals list. The five players with 92 game-winners are Johnny Bucyk, Mark Messier, Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick, and Jeff Carter.
On Wednesday, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin earned their 81st career multi-goal comeback win of their career and passed Ray Bourque and Matt Cullen for the ninth most in NHL history. The only players with more are Paul Coffey (98), Mark Messier (94), Jaromir Jagr (88), Kevin Lowe (87), Patrick Marleau (86), Glenn Anderson (85), Ron Francis (85) and Wayne Gretzky (82).
On Wednesday night, Evgeni Malkin became the 48th player in NHL history, and fourth active player, to score 500 goals. In doing so Pittsburgh (Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin) became the second team in NHL history with three 500-goal scorers, joining the Montreal Canadiens (Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard).
Malkin also became the eighth player born and trained outside North America to score 500 goals. The others are Alex Ovechkin (853), Jaromir Jagr (766), Teemu Selanne (684), Jari Kurri (601), Mats Sundin (564), Marian Hossa (525), and Peter Bondra (503).
Captain Sidney Crosby capped off a banner night in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, becoming the 10th player in NHL history to record 1,600 regular-season points after his overtime goal and three-point effort (1G-2A). He reached this milestone in the fifth fewest games required (1,277). Crosby is just one of six players in NHL history to record 1,600 points with one franchise.
To cap off a historic night for the Penguins on Wednesday, Sidney Crosby buried his 21st career overtime goal off a feed from two other overtime greats, Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. Crosby’s 21st career overtime goal, which is the second most in NHL history (Alex Ovechkin, 26), doubled as his franchise-leading 91st career game-winning goal, tying Wayne Gretzky and Mark Recchi for the 21st most in NHL history.
Crosby’s 45 career overtime points are the most in NHL history, while Malkin’s helper on Wednesday night gave him sole possession of the most overtime assists in NHL history. The long-time Pittsburgh duo, along with Karlsson, all rank in the top-five in NHL history in overtime assists and points.
Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang have combined on 303 goals in their careers, which is one such effort shy of tying Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty for the third-most goals combined on by a forward-defenseman duo in NHL history.
Evgeni Malkin has been one of the hottest Penguins out of the gate, accumulating a team-high 11 points (2G-9A) in five games. Malkin has recorded multi-point efforts in four-straight games, and no NHL player has more multi-point games than Malkin this season. With two-plus points tonight, Malkin could tie his career long multi-point point streak of five games set from Feb. 2-10, 2008 (4G-11A). Malkin’s 11 points on the season lead the NHL.
Malkin had sole posession of first place in the scoring race on Wednesday and Thursday. The last time he led the League outright in scoring was April 7, 2012 – the last day of the 2011.12 season when he won his second Art Ross Trophy (also 2008.09). His 11 points are the most points he’s recorded through his first five games in his career.
The Penguins rank second in the NHL with 20 goals through their first five games of the season, and the team’s 4.00 goals-per-game average is tied for fourth in the league behind the New York Rangers (5.00), Calgary Flames (4.75), and Columbus Blue Jackets (4.25). Pittsburgh has 12 players on its roster that’s scored this season, which is tied for the most unique goal scorers in the NHL.
Rickard Rakell leads the team in goals with three and is riding an active three-game goal scoring streak. His three-game streak is his longest as a Penguin, and with a goal tonight, can tie the third-longest goal scoring streak of his career.
Crosby has 67 points (24G-43A) in 59 career games against the Carolina Hurricanes. Crosby’s 67 points versus the Hurricanes are the second most among active players, and his 1.14 points-per-game average against them is fourth best (min. 15 GP). Crosby has points in nine of his last 11 games against Carolina (9G-6A) and has 20 points (10G-10A) in his last 18 games versus them. Only Alex Ovechkin (9), Steven Stamkos (7) and Adam Henrique (6) have more game-winning goals against the Hurricanes than Crosby (5) among active players.
