Crosby Makes History, Defense Holds Up in Penguins’ 3-2 Win

No one should have been surprised when Sidney Crosby scrawled his signature in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ record book again Sunday evening.

More than a few people, however, might have been by the generally solid performance turned in by their patched-together defense during a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena.

Crosby set up Michael Bunting’s power-play goal early in the second period to record his 1,034th career assist, breaking Mario Lemieux’s franchise record, as the Penguins moved back on top of NHL .500 (17-16-5).

While that earned Crosby a standing ovation, the Penguins’ patched-up defense corps likely merited a little applause, too.

They played without two of their top four defensemen, Kris Letang and Marcus Pettersson, both of whom are recovering from unspecified lower-body injuries.

Letang apparently was hurt during the Penguins’ 6-3 loss on Long Island Saturday; his absence opened a spot for defenseman Nathan Clurman, who made his NHL debut.

Clurman manned the right side, opposite Ryan Shea, on the No. 3 pairing. The other defensive tandems were Matt-Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves-P.O Joseph.

Eye-catching as Crosby’s history-making stat was, this one might be equally striking: Karlsson, who averaged three seconds of shorthanded work in the Penguins’ first 37 games, logged two minutes, 42 seconds of it during a pair of New York power plays.

Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic lost his shutout bid at 12:59 of the third period, when Islanders winger Anders Lee deflected an Alexander Romanov shot past him. Lee scored after New York goalie Marcus Hogberg, who was making his first start at this level since April 28, 2021, had been replaced by an extra attacker.

Former Islanders forward Anthony Beauvillier greeted him by setting up near the left side of the crease and steering a Bunting feed past Hogberg at 3:54 of the opening period for his ninth of the season. Grzelcyk got the second assist.

The Pittsburgh Penguins got the first power play of the game 35 seconds into the second period, and they needed just 61 seconds to pad their lead — and give Crosby yet another place in the record book.

New York defenseman Noah Dobson was serving a tripping minor when Crosby had the puck behind the Islanders’ net and threw it in front to Bunting, who beat Hogberg for his 11th.

That assist formally moved Crosby, who had one taken away by the off-ice officials on Long Island Saturday, ahead of Lemieux and into the top spot on the franchise’s all-time list.

Phil Tomasino’s assist on Bunting’s goal was his third of the season, leaving him a mere 1,031 behind Crosby.

New York entered the game with the NHL’s least-efficient power play, converting just 11.7 percent of its chances with the extra man. The Islanders got one when Rickard Rakell was sent off for hooking at 9:30 of the second and generated three shots on Nedeljkovic, but did not seriously threaten to score.

That extended New York’s current futility streak with the man-advantage to 0-for-15.

The Islanders’ second opportunity on the power play came when Clurman was sent off for hooking at 17:17, and this time Nedeljkovic had to glove an Anthony Duclair shot from the slot to preserve the Penguins’ two-goal edge.

New York was credited with seven shots between the start of that man-advantage and the second intermission, but failed to score.

Evgeni Malkin got what proved to be the game-winner at 6:58 of the third, one second before a cross-checking minor to Islanders center Kyle MacLean was to expire.

He deflected a Tomasino shot from just above the left dot past Hogberg for his eighth. The second assist on the goal, which originally was credited to Tomasino, went to Cody Glass.

Malkin’s goal grew in significance when Lee got his second of the game at 16:10, again with Hogberg on the bench. Bo Horvat initially was credited with that goal.

After the game, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced that they will not practice Monday. Their plan for the day had been undetermined until Sunday evening.