GAME RECAP: Penguins Outlast Canadiens in 4-3 Shootout Victory
Sidney Crosby scored three points and Alex Nedljkovic battled late to earn a victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It's always a special night when Pittsburgh Penguins' captain, Sidney Crosby, returns to Montreal to play his childhood team. Last night was no different as the future Hall of Famer put on a show in front of the Montreal faithful.
Crosby's three points (2G-1A) kept the Penguins in the game, pushed him past Paul Coffey and into a tie with Mark Recchi for 13th on the NHL's all-time scoring list (1,533 points).
Goal Recap
(MTL 1-0) David Savard: Unassisted
(MTL 2-0) Jayden Struble (2): Michael Pezzetta (5) & Jesse Ylonen (2)
(MTL 2-1) Sidney Crosby (16): Drew O'Connor (6)
(MTL 3-1) Sean Monahan (9): Nick Suzuki (15) & Mike Matheson (15) *PP
(MTL 3-2) Jake Guentzel (13): Sidney Crosby (14) & Erik Karlsson (14) *PP
(TIE 3-3) Sidney Crosby (17): Erik Karlsson (15) & Evgeni Malkin (14) *PP
Shootout Winner: 12th Round - Jansen Harkins
Three Stars
3. Jake Guentzel
Guentzel continues his red-hot stretch, scoring his seventh goal in the past ten games in the second period. He has also tallied power-play goals in back-to-back games and has points in 17 of his last 19 games.
2. Alex Nedeljkovic
What started as a slow night for Nedeljkovic turned into one of his best performances since joining the Penguins. After allowing three goals in the opening frame, Nedeljkovic stopped all 27 shots he faced the rest of the night.
The Penguins netminder stood on his head in overtime, stopping nine shots and killing off a Canadiens power play to force the shootout.
1. Sidney Crosby
Last night was Sidney Crosby's night. Three points. He passed two all-time legends in scoring and led the Penguins past the Canadiens for their second win in as many nights. The Penguins captain continues to will this team forward through the season.
Final Thoughts
The Penguins have won back-to-back games for the first time since mid-November when they were on their five-game winning streak. They'll need to continue to stack wins if they want to rise back up the standings and separate themselves from a congested pack in the race for Wild Card positioning.
Fortunately, they have a few days before their next matchup on Saturday night with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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