PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – From the day he was drafted there were hopes Sidney Crosby would take over as the Pens next superstar. He has done that in every single way and now tied Mario Lemieux with 1,033 career assists. To top it off the Pens (4th in the Metro) beat the Flyers 7-3 Monday night.
Crosby had tied Lemieux with three assists before the end of the first period, it would have been four except for a disallowed goal on a Philadelphia challenge that was ruled offsides. He would later score an empty-net goal.
“There are very few players in the history of the game that have reached these milestones,” said Pens head coach Mike Sullivan. “It’s one more piece of evidence to suggest that Sid is one of the greatest players of all-time. Their legacy continues to grow.”
“It’s nice, I didn’t ever think I’d be close to that,” Crosby said. “Played a lot of games, he played a lot less than I did. It’s what happens when you play long enough.”
The first helper, a primary to Bryan Rust on a great backhanded pass. The second helped set up Evgeni Malkin’s solid pass to Michael Bunting for a score. The third, the only assist on a Philip Tomasino power play goal.
“It’s extremely impressive, but I’m not overly surprised,” said Rust. “Sid is right there with him (Lemieux) in importance with this franchise.”
“I think it’s pretty cool that you have two generational players in one organization that had a little bit of crossover,” Sullivan said. “To have those two players play for your team and your city. What an incredible privilege.”
“It’s neat to be able to see it from my end,” said goalie Tristan Jarry. “To be on this team is a privilege. To watch him every night do his thing, there is nothing better. We are lucky to have him.”
Notes
· Crosby has 10 goals and 29 assists in 36 games
· It’s Crosby’s third, three-assist game in the last 6 games
· Since November 16, Crosby has the second-most assists in the NHL (16)
· Lemieux still leads Crosby in overall points by 88
· In 88 career games against the Flyers, Crosby has 56 goals and 77 assists
· Rakell has goals in five consecutive games against the Flyers
· Last 13 games, Pens top line of Crosby, Rust and Rakell had combined for 21 goals and 32 assists
· Michael Bunting had a pair of goals