The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on New Year's Day, achieving their third-straight win. Sidney Crosby played a part in this victory and reacted to the win, emphasizing what he feels has made the difference, according to Pens Inside Scoop.

“Crosby, on three straight wins: ‘I think we're just giving ourselves a chance. We're working hard, and we're working as a unit in all three zones, so we look pretty connected. We just got to continue to do that,” Pens Inside Scoop wrote on X.

Crosby recently became the Penguins' points leader and had a big part in this win over the Wings. Things started quickly, as Crosby connected on a power-play goal just over four minutes in. Then, he got another goal just over a minute later. The Wings fought back, and it was 3-3 in the third period.

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This game needed overtime. Ultimately, Crosby set up Kris Letang with a beautiful back-handed pass for the game-winning goal in the extra session. This was another great game for the Pens, and one where Erik Karlsson reached 900 points in his career.

The Penguins started the season strongly before hitting a lull. This win improved their record to 18-12-9 and now put them at 45 points, just one behind the Buffalo Sabres for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. If they can continue this strong play, they might be able to surpass the Sabres and sneak into that final spot with just over three months left to play. The Penguins' next game will be a rematch with the Red Wings, this time at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.