Islanders 3 at Penguins 7
Sidney Crosby has an Olympic gold medal, a Stanley Cup ring and a league MVP trophy, but thanks to a scoring change he is still looking to add a 50-goal NHL season to his impressive list of accomplishments.
Crosby took the NHL lead with his 49th goal — losing his 50th after the game — and became the third-youngest player in league history to reach the 500-point mark, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 7-3 rout of the New York Islanders on Thursday in the final regular-season game in Mellon Arena.
Leave it to Crosby to create a few more highlights before the building affectionately known as the Igloo shuts down.
This wasn’t the final Penguins game there — the playoffs await the defending Stanley Cup champions — but it was one of the last in a building constructed six years before Pittsburgh was awarded an NHL expansion franchise.
The Penguins were visibly motivated by all the trappings of the evening, as Brooks Orpik scored only 23 seconds into the game, following a 20-minute pre-game ceremony in which the former players took to the ice under spotlights.
“Shaking hands with all those guys, it’s a bit surreal to be on that bench and see the last home game, the last regular season game in the building,” coach Dan Bylsma said. “Those guys and those memories, it was a special night.”
Crosby finished with four points, also assisting on a goal by Alex Goligoski and two by Bill Guerin, giving him 104 points for the season and 501 in his five-season career. The only players younger than Crosby (22 years, 244 days) to hit the 500-point mark faster were Wayne Gretzky (21 years, 52 days) and former Penguins star Mario Lemieux (22 years, 172 days).
“It’s one of those numbers,” Crosby said. “It’s a nice accomplishment. You don’t think about those things a lot.”
Crosby put the Penguins up 4-2 with a wrist shot from the right circle with 58 seconds left in a first period that led the Islanders to replace goalie Martin Biron with Dwayne Roloson. Biron gave up four goals on 10 shots.
The Penguins, coming off three consecutive sub-par performances in which they lost to Tampa Bay and Washington and beat Atlanta in overtime, added two more goals in the second by Tyler Kennedy and Guerin.
Crosby appeared to reach the 50-goal mark on a slap shot from the right point during a Penguins power play at 14:34 of the second. The Penguins delayed announcing the goal until play was stopped so Crosby could receive a louder ovation — and, in the interim, Kennedy scored 1:07 later to make it 6-3. However, the goal was credited instead to Guerin following a lengthy post-game video review, meaning Crosby must try for his 50th this weekend. Crosby did get his 500th career point on the play, an assist.
Canadiens 2 at Hurricanes 5
Eric Staal had three goals and two assists and the Carolina Hurricanes beat Montreal to prevent the Canadiens from clinching a playoff berth.
Senators 3 at Lightning 4 (SO)
Teddy Purcell scored in the third round of a shootout and Steven Stamkos scored his 48th goal to give Tampa Bay the victory after Ottawa overcame a 3-0 deficit.
Canucks 2 at Sharks 4
Joe Thornton scored his first goal since returning from a lower-body injury and the Sharks moved a step closer to clinching the top spot in the Western Conference with a victory over Vancouver.
Sabres 1 at Bruins 3
At Boston, Dennis Wideman broke a tie early in the third period to help the Bruins solidify their position in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Ducks 2 at Stars 3 (SO)
At Dallas, Mike Modano had a goal and an assist in regulation in possibly his final home game with the Stars, then scored in the second round of the shootout to help the Stars beat Anaheim.
Devils 2 at Panthers 3
Radek Dvorak and Nathan Horton scored in the third period for Florida, and Scott Clemmensen made 42 saves against his former New Jersey teammates.
Coyotes 3 at Kings 2 (SO)
Adrian Aucoin scored in the fourth round of the shootout, and Phoenix overcame a two-goal deficit in the final minutes of regulation to beat the Kings.