Sidney Crosby climbed the NHL career scoring list and Jansen Harkins scored the deciding goal in the 12th round of the shootout to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 4-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.
The 12-round shootout is the longest in the NHL since Nov. 22, 2016, when the New York Islanders defeated the Anaheim Ducks. It’s the 11th shootout in NHL history to go at least 12 rounds.
Crosby had two goals and an assist to move past Paul Coffey and into a tie with former teammate Mark Recchi for 13th place on the NHL points list with 1,533.
“It goes by really quick,” Crosby, who had Recchi as a mentor when he entered the NHL 18 years ago, said about his career. “To be in company with Recchs, having played with him, having watched him here (in Montreal), I know the type of career he had and how good he was, how consistent he was.
“Definitely a compliment to be in company with him.”
Dubas: Sullivan ‘absolutely’ right coach for Pens
25d
NHL head coach hot seat tiers: Temperature check for all 32 teams
22dGreg Wyshynski
Jarry makes Penguins history with goal vs. Bolts
36d
Jake Guentzel also scored in regulation for the Penguins, who won their second straight after a four-game skid. Erik Karlsson had two assists and Alex Nedeljkovic finished with 39 saves.
“It’s always fun once it starts going, guys on the bench are starting to panic a little bit and hoping for a goal so they don’t get picked,” Karlsson said. “But at the same time it’s one of those things that guys get opportunities to take a penalty shot that otherwise they might have not, and Harks scored a goal for us.”
David Savard, Jayden Struble and Sean Monahan scored for Montreal, which has lost eight of its past nine at home. Sam Montembeault had 27 saves.
Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and Pittsburgh’s Kris Letang and Crosby scored on the first four attempts of the shootout. The next eight skaters couldn’t convert until Monahan scored for the Canadiens and Lars Eller for the Penguins in the seventh round. Another nine skaters went before Harkins, who got only 4:24 of ice time, ended it.
“I don’t know if he’s taken a penalty shot before, let alone scored a goal,” Karlsson said. “So it’s a big moment for him.”
It was the longest shootout in Penguins history, with the previous record being nine rounds, and also the longest in Canadiens history (previous was 10). The shootout was first implemented by the NHL in 2005-06.
Montreal failed to score after spending almost an entire 4-on-3 overtime power play in Pittsburgh’s zone following Evgeni Malkin’s tripping penalty.
Montreal built leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the first period, before Pittsburgh scored twice in the second to tie the score.
“We had so many great moments,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “And then we shoot ourselves in the foot.”
With the Penguins on a power play, Guetzel got a pass from Crosby at the high slot and fired a shot past Montembeault to make it 3-2 at 5:36 of the middle period. It was Guentzel’s 13th goal of the season.
Crosby got his second of the night to tie it nearly 5½ minutes later with Pittsburgh’s second power-play tally. Crosby got a pass in the high slot from Karlsson and scored past Montembeault for his 17th with just under 9 minutes left in the second. That pulled him into a tie with Recchi.
Savard, playing in just his seventh game of the season, got the Canadiens on the scoreboard at 6:24 of the first period with his first.
Struble made it 2-0 with 7:39 left in the opening period as he beat Nedelkjovic from the right side for his second.
Crosby got the Penguins on the scoreboard 1:27 later as he backhanded a loose puck during a scramble on the left side. It tied him with Coffey (1,531) for 14th place.
Crosby is tied for the league lead with 14 even-strength goals this season.
“I understand how hard you have to work to play at this level,” Crosby said. “Each and every year I mean, the guys that are coming in are so skilled and so fast. It’s not easy, so a lot of work goes into it.”
The Canadiens retook a two-goal lead with a power-play goal with 4:40 left in the first. Mike Matheson’s wrist shot from the post trickled through Nedeljkovic and landed on the goal line, where Monahan was on hand to tap it in.
1 Comment
larry up first hahaha