Despite Dud Against Buffalo, Crosby The Star Of The Show

There wasn’t a whole lot to write home about in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ brutal 7-3 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.

Goaltender Tristan Jarry was pulled for the second consecutive game, an outing which included two Sabres goals on the first two shots of the game. The Penguins’ defense – on the blue line and within the forward unit – was asleep at the wheel, seemingly uninterested in, well, playing defense. Luck was not on their side, either, as bounces failed to go their way left and right.

But, in what is now almost certainly a lost season, one bounce did go their way. And – ultimately – it was the one that mattered most in this game between two teams at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. 

With eight minutes and 49 seconds left in the first period and trailing 2-0, the Penguins were forechecking low, and Rickard Rakell gathered the puck. He threw a pass to the net-front to Sidney Crosby, who kicked it to his own stick and flicked the puck bar-down past Sabres netminder James Reimer.

And with that goal – Crosby’s 26th of the season – he clinched his 20th consecutive season at point-per-game, which officially broke Wayne Gretzky’s previous record of 19.

The Sabres scored the next five goals, all in the second period. And Blake Lizotte and Kevin Hayes added tallies for Pittsburgh in the final frame to make the final score 7-3. But it was Crosby who was the star of the night, and he once again proved why he’s been the star of the last two decades for the NHL.

“It’s remarkable,” head coach Mike Sullivan said. “He’s in such rare company with where he is right now. With every milestone that he crosses, I guess, it just puts him in more elite company than he’s already in. So, I just think, when you think in terms of 20 seasons in a row with such consistency, it’s an amazing accomplishment.

“And it doesn’t surprise me because I know how hard he works and how hard he trains, and he controls everything in his power to set himself up for success and, ultimately, the team. I’ve said it on so many occasions, just his passion for the game, his willingness to put the work in to continue to be at his best… it’s just remarkable.”

BREAKING: Sidney Crosby Breaks Wayne Gretzky’s Point-Per-Game Seasons RecordAfter 20 years in the making, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has made NHL history.

His teammates are nothing short of amazed at their captain’s accomplishment, too, as several of them have been around to witness it for a decade or more.

“He’s a tremendously special player and person,” linemate Bryan Rust said, who has been with the team since 2014. “You can see his hard work in everything. Just… 20 years is a huge accomplishment. It says more about him as a person than as a player. 

“He works extremely hard, and he knows what it takes. There’s a lot of people who can be good for one, two, or five years, but to do it that long… I think that’s incredibly special.”

Crosby, of course, gave a lot of credit to the guys he has played with over the years in helping him achieve the milestone. But with the competitor he is, he knew it didn’t taste quite the same because of the way the team lost.

And no one should expect anything less from the game’s ultimate – and, literally, its most consistent – competitor.

“You play to win,” Crosby said. “It’s obviously a special milestone, but in a game like that, it’s not really the same. So, just a tough night. Tough night.”

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