Dan’s Daily: Milestone(s) Day for Sidney Crosby; Torts on the Outs

It was a day of milestones for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, and those achievements put him in an even more elite company. They also drew a wry, self-deprecating quip from Crosby, too. Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella looks like he’s about done in Columbus. The Washington Capitals stayed just ahead of the Penguins in the East as the New York Islanders’ fall continued. And, get a look at the new NHL schedule options for 2021-22.

A quick rundown of the historic company Sidney Crosby joined on Saturday. By scoring his 20th goal of the season with 0.1 seconds remaining, Crosby earned his 13th 20-goal campaign, surpassing Mario Lemieux and Evgeni Malkin for most in Penguins history. That was milestone No. 1.

Sidney Crosby also clinched a point-per-game season, the 16th of his career. By doing so, he earned the third most point-per-game seasons behind only Wayne Gretzky (19) and Gordie Howe (17).

“It’s nice any time you’re mentioned with Gordie and Wayne Gretzky, that’s pretty neat,” Crosby said. “And, you know, it’s also a reminder of how long I played, too.”

It seems like a fitting company, doesn’t it? In case you missed it, by scoring in the first minute of the game on Thursday, Crosby tied Mark Messier for most first-minute goals (13) in NHL history.

Now to the news and links:

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: If you missed it, Jason Zucker leveled on New Jersey forward then fought another. 

PHN+: The Pittsburgh Penguins report card from their 4-2 win. It was hairy…again. We dished a few good grades, but we didn’t treat the Penguins top line so well. 

Athletic: If you’re an Athletic sub, you can have a look at Aaron Portzline’s sendup of John Tortorella’s future–which probably won’t be in Columbus after six seasons but a tumultuous and disappointing 2020-21 season. 

TSN’s Daren Dreger reported the same on Thursday. 

Sportsnet: The NHL presented two schedule options to GMs last week. One is a return to conference playoffs. The other would keep the divisional playoffs. What do you think of the potential schedules?

Boston Hockey Now: Perhaps “good” news for the Penguins ahead of their two-game set against the Boston Bruins. Patrice Bergeron is day-to-day. 

TSN: Daniel Sprong scored twice, and Washington dominated the New York Islanders to stay ahead of the Penguins. 

And speaking of former Penguins, Matt Murray was on a heater, but he left the Senators game on Saturday with an LBI. 

San Jose Hockey Now: Gotta see it– Joe Thornton and the Howe Family paid tribute to Patrick Marleau in the Sharks’ first home game since Marleau broke Gordie Howe’s games played record.