The Pittsburgh Penguins picked up a big win over the New York Islanders on Sunday night. And the night was rather historic in nature. Sidney Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux as the Penguins' all-time assist leader in the second period. He assisted on Michael Bunting's power-play goal which made it a 2-0 game at the time.

Crosby recently tied Lemieux in assists and sought the record for himself on Sunday. It's another bit of history for the Pittsburgh captain who already has a Hall of Fame resume. On Sunday night, Lemieux took time to release a statement about Crosby's record-setting assist.

“I want to congratulate Sid on setting the team’s assist record. He’s an amazing player and we’re so fortunate to have him in Pittsburgh. I look forward to even more great things from him,” Lemieux said in a statement shared by the Penguins on social media.

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Sidney Crosby and the Penguins had a 2-0 lead following his record-setting assist. However, the Islanders had some fight in them. New York did not go away quietly after the historic moment. And they nearly pulled off a comeback win.

The Penguins took a 3-0 lead in the third period thanks to Philip Tomasino's fifth goal of the season. But the Islanders put in a valiant effort in the final frame. Captain Anders Lee scored shortly before the midway point of the final period. And he did so again about two minutes after his first marker.

Unfortunately, Lee's efforts came up short. The Islanders fell to 14-16-7 on the season with this latest loss. New York has lost five of their last eight games. And they are only two points clear of the New York Rangers for last place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are back in action again on New Year's Eve when they travel to face the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Penguins, meanwhile, are now 17-16-5 on the 2024-25 campaign. After some early season struggles, Pittsburgh is now fourth in the Metro on 39 points. They have had some inconsistent form, trading wins and losses in each of their last four games. But they have a chance to get a second straight win when they take on the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Eve.