Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby continued to climb the NHL’s all-time scoring ladder Friday, scoring two goals in a 4-3 overtime win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Crosby reached 640 career goals after scoring his second of the night, tying Dave Andreychuk for 15th place on the NHL’s all-time goal list.
At 38, in his 21st NHL season, Crosby is on pace for 53 goals and 89 points, which would be personal bests in both categories. His 1,712 career points put him just 12 shy of Mario Lemieux’s Penguins franchise record.
Pittsburgh trailed for most of the game, with Columbus taking a two-goal advantage late in the second period. Sean Monahan scored his first goal in 10 games to tie the game early, while Brendan Gaunce put the Blue Jackets ahead 2-1 with a short-handed goal at 3:51 of the second. Zach Werenski added a late second-period goal, giving Columbus a 3-1 lead. The Blue Jackets, who have gone to overtime in eight of their last 11 games, were unable to hold onto that lead for the sixth time this season after conceding a late deficit.
Bryan Rust opened the door for the Penguins’ comeback, scoring just 13 seconds into the third period to trim Columbus’ lead to 3-2. Crosby then tied the game at 3-3 at 8:28, following a precise pass from Tommy Novak, reaching his 109th multi-goal game, tying Jarome Iginla for 20th in NHL history. Novak contributed two assists, while Evgeni Malkin helped maintain offensive pressure, setting up influential plays during the third period.
Kris Letang completed the comeback 58 seconds into overtime, converting a give-and-go with Novak and finishing with a snap shot past the Blue Jackets' goalie, Jet Greaves. Letang’s 12th career overtime goal ties him with Erik Karlsson and Seth Jones for the third-most in NHL history among defensemen. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves for Pittsburgh, while Greaves stopped 20 of 24 shots.
The victory, which was the Penguins’ first overtime win of the season, improved them to 12-6-5, kept their point streak alive at three games (2-0-1), and gave them consecutive wins for the second time this season. The team will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in their next matchup on Saturday.
