PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby tallied a goal and notched three assists on Monday night to match Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for most assists with the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they bested the Philadelphia Flyers 7-3. Crosby’s performance included a crucial empty-net goal in the third period and contributions to three of the Penguins’ four first-period goals, propelling the team to a 4-1 advantage. Both Crosby and Lemieux now hold 1,033 assists, placing them 12th all-time in NHL history.
Philip Tomasino capitalized on a backhand pass from Crosby to score a power-play goal at 17:44 of the first period, drawing level with Lemieux’s milestone. Michael Bunting netted two goals, Bryan Rust extended his scoring streak with his seventh goal in eight games, and Rickard Rakell and Blake Lizotte also found the net for Pittsburgh. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 23 saves to secure the victory.
For the Flyers, Noah Cates netted his fourth goal in as many games, with additional goals from Sean Couturier and Egor Zamula. Samuel Ersson tended the goal for the first two periods, making nine saves before being substituted by Aleksei Kolosov, who stopped six shots.
Following a recent overtime win against Columbus, the Flyers were unable to mount a comeback in the final period against Pittsburgh, resulting in their fourth loss in five games. Meanwhile, the Penguins bounced back from a shutout defeat to New Jersey, where they managed just 12 shots, by claiming victory in nine of their last 13 games.
A pivotal moment in the match came when Bunting extended Pittsburgh’s lead to 4-3 with a late second-period goal, providing the team with a cushion to close out the game in the final period. Crosby’s dominance against Philadelphia was highlighted by his 56 goals and 133 points in 88 career games, setting a new NHL record against the Flyers.
In their upcoming games, Pittsburgh is set to face the Islanders, while the Flyers will take on the Ducks, both contests scheduled for Saturday.
