Sidney Crosby scored his fourth goal of the season to surpass Mario Lemieux for the most total points in Pittsburgh Penguins franchise history, including regular season and playoffs. The milestone came in a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. Crosby now has 1,896 career points with the Penguins.
In a dominant 5-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at PPG Paints Arena, Sidney Crosby etched his name further into Penguins lore. Late in the second period, Crosby's goal—his fourth of the season—put Pittsburgh up 3-1 and marked his 1,896th career point across regular season and playoffs, passing Lemieux's total of 1,895. It was Crosby's eighth point in seven games this season.
The Penguins, who entered the game with a 5-2 record, improved to 6-2 despite a sluggish start. Vancouver struck first, but Arturs Silovs settled in, stopping 23 of 24 shots against his former team. A key moment came when Silovs denied Evander Kane on a breakaway, keeping the score at 1-0. Moments later, Connor Dewar tied it at 1-1 with his second goal of the season, sparking Pittsburgh's fourth line.
Other goals came from Tommy Novak (his first as a Penguin and the game-winner), Anthony Mantha, and Justin Brazeau, who extended his hot streak to five goals and eight points in seven games. Kris Letang contributed two assists, reaching his 600th career assist—the 20th defenseman in NHL history to do so. Evgeni Malkin added to his strong start with 10 points in seven games.
Crosby remained humble postgame, reflecting on the achievement. "It took me 500 more games," he said. "It means I’ve been around for a long time, and numbers are numbers. But the memories and everything that’s been a part of the last 21 years has been pretty special, so I appreciate that." He credited his teammates and expressed fondness for Lemieux, who recently visited the team: "I love seeing him around... Any chance that we get to have him around is always special."
Pittsburgh's balanced attack included two power-play goals and contributions from all four lines. The win highlights an unexpectedly strong start under coach Dan Muse, with improved defense and youthful energy from players like Ben Kindel and Harrison Brunicke. The Penguins face the Florida Panthers next on Thursday.