In Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby played in his 1000th NHL game and simply did what he does best, add points. He collected two assists in a 3-2 win over the visiting New York Islanders on Saturday night.
“It means a lot,” Crosby said. “It’s a special day regardless of the outcome, but it makes it so much better when you win. Just everything from the guys and the ceremony in the room and on the ice, I was just completely spoiled today. It was a pretty awesome experience and a day I’ll always remember.”
Tristan Jarry made 33 saves. to the get the win.
Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored for the Isles to give them a 2-1 lead in the game.
“Regulation losses sting a little bit more this year, but we did some good things,” Nelson said. “[We] had a lead in the third. [We] want to try to find a way to close it out [and] learn from a couple mistakes.”
New York dropped to 8-6-3.
“Life’s not fair sometimes,” New York head coach Barry Trotz said. “I think if you just stick to the process, you’ll get those results. I think the guys know in the room that we probably deserved a point tonight at least, maybe two. If we continue to play that way, then we’ll have success.”
Kris Letang struck for two goals in the win.
“We have so many memories,” Letang said. “I think this one can add up to the bunch of them. As far as the game, even if we don’t have our A-game on one of those nights, we can actually still be in the fight to win and gain some points in the standings. This team never gives up. They keep working hard.”
Mike Matheson had a single marker for the Pens in the win.
“That’s part of why this core group of players has built the legacy they’ve built,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “A moment like that is an important goal for us. We didn’t have a lot going and that power play certainly gave us a spark.”
Semyon Varlamov made 15 saves in the loss.
“I thought we stayed on top of them,” Eberle said. “I think we limited their space and their chances. Some nights it just doesn’t go your way, so it’s a tough one to swallow. But Barry’s said it, if you play like that most nights, you’re going to come out with some points. Tonight was tough.”
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