Penguins' Sidney Crosby Closes in on Legend with Milestone Assist

The Pittsburgh Penguins just had their most exciting win of the season, and it came with a little bit of everything.

Goals, momentum swings, and a reminder of what this team can look like when everything clicks. After a scoreless first period against the New York Islanders, the game exploded in the second with eight goals, turning into a track meet few could have predicted.

Trailing 3–1 midway through the game, Pittsburgh didn’t just respond, they completely blew the game open with seven straight goals later for the 8–3 win that felt as much like a statement as it did a comeback.

This was the return of Sidney Crosby, who had missed the previous game with an upper-body injury against the Dallas Stars. His presence was immediately felt, not just in production, but in the rhythm of the offense.

Crosby Hits 1,100 Assists, Moves Up All-Time List

Crosby finished the night with two assists. The first helped spark the comeback, setting up Ryan Shea for a rocket that tied the game 3–3 and shifted momentum completely (video below). From there, the Penguins took over.

SAY HEY TO RYAN SHEA 👋 pic.twitter.com/eGUF3duvKD
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 31, 2026

Anthony Mantha added two quick goals to give Pittsburgh a 5–3 lead heading into the third. His brace also pushed him to a team-leading 29 goals, moving past Crosby in that category.

Crosby's second assist came on the final goal of the night, threading a perfect pass to Bryan Rust (video below). That assist was the 1,100th in Crosby’s career, making him just the eighth player in NHL history to reach the milestone. Combined with his 653 goals, he now sits at 1,753 points, placing him eighth all-time.

ICYMI: Half off Rusty Shakes at @MShakeFactory tomorrow! 🙂‍↕️ pic.twitter.com/fLg2EMOoCw
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 31, 2026

Earlier in the season, he surpassed Mario Lemieux as both the Pittsburgh Penguins’ franchise points leader and on the NHL’s all-time points list. Next on the horizon is Steve Yzerman, the legendary Detroit Red Wings captain with 1,755 career points, and Crosby is now just three points away from passing him for seventh all-time.

The milestones don’t stop there. Crosby is also closing in on Joe Thornton for seventh all-time in assists and is just four goals away from passing Brendan Shanahan for 14th on the NHL’s all-time goals list.

Crosby Continues Climbing Past NHL Legends

This was also the 514th multi-point game of Crosby's career, moving him past both Mark Messier and Marcel Dionne for the third-most in NHL history.

The only names ahead of him? Wayne Gretzky and Jaromir Jagr.

What makes it more impressive is that he’s still producing at an elite level while chasing these milestones. This isn’t a farewell tour built on past accomplishments. It’s an active climb up the all-time rankings.

Pittsburgh is in the middle of by far their most demanding stretch of the season — a “hell week” that sees them play five games in the span of seven days. Every point matters, and every game carries playoff implications.

For Crosby and the Penguins, the focus shifts quickly — of all teams, next up is the Detroit Red Wings. The milestones will be there, the records will fall, but right now, the priority is simple: keep winning and secure a spot in the postseason.

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