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Penguins' Sidney Crosby's Historic Chase Eclipsed by Losing Streak

History is getting closer for Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, but it’s getting harder to appreciate through the noise of an unraveling season.
Samuel Len|
Dec 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) prepares to take a face-off against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dec 9, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) prepares to take a face-off against the Anaheim Ducks during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lived with history for so long that it almost fades into the background. When your core stays intact for over two decades — when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have spent their entire adult lives wearing the same crest — milestones stop feeling special and start feeling inevitable.

Records have always followed this group. Points pile up. Games played stretch into the stratosphere. One night blends into the next, and suddenly you realize you’ve been watching three Hall of Famers quietly redefine what longevity looks like in the modern NHL.

This season began that way. Crosby and Malkin started the year on fire, leading the league in goals and assists, respectively. The Penguins looked sharp, confident, and dangerous. Then November arrived, bringing sloppy details, defensive lapses, and a stretch where head coach Dan Muse had to publicly demand more from a veteran team that knows better.

After a brief return to form, things have now spiraled into one of the ugliest losing streaks Pittsburgh has seen in years, if not decades. And if it continues, Crosby’s historic chase of Mario Lemieux may be completely overshadowed by the chaos surrounding it.

Crosby Quietly Closing In On Lemieux

When we last left off, Crosby had 1,718 career regular-season points — five shy of tying Lemieux and six from becoming the Penguins’ all-time scoring leader. Since then, he’s played three more games, all at home, and recorded points in two of them.

The first came in a frustrating 4–2 loss to Montreal. The Penguins outshot the Canadiens 38–29, won nearly 60 percent of faceoffs, and went 1-for-6 on the power play. It wasn’t enough. Crosby picked up an assist with a slick short-range backhand pass that set up Bryan Rust at the crease (video below), but the offense never truly broke through.

Two nights later, on Crosby bobblehead night, Pittsburgh seemed ready for a reset. Against San Jose, Crosby scored on the power play and added another assist on a Rust blast that beat Yaroslav Askarov clean. The Penguins led 5–1 with 14 minutes remaining. Then disaster struck... again.

A Collapse That Stunned PPG Paints Arena

In a legendary third-period comeback that brought their play-by-play announcer to tears, San Jose scored five unanswered goals to erase a four-goal deficit and win 6–5 in overtime. Tyler Toffoli finished with four points, while Macklin Celebrini, who had received praise from Crosby earlier in the week, added three of his own.

Penguins fans sat in stunned silence at the end of the game. The only comfort they had was that Crosby had collected two points in an 11-goal game — and that bobbleheads still made their way home.

That relief didn’t last long. The very next night, Utah made its first-ever visit to PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 3–0 lead through two periods, but by now, the hometown fans knew better than to feel confident about their team going into the third with a lead.

Third-Period Nightmares Becoming Routine

Utah cut the lead to 3–2 just a minute and a half into the third. Dan Muse called a timeout to try to settle and refocus his squad, but it didn’t seem to help. Five minutes later, two more Mammoth goals followed. After losing a challenge on the tying goal, the Penguins gave Utah a power play, which they converted to take a 4–3 lead.

The Penguins didn't give up, and Justin Brazeau forced overtime with his second goal of the night. Forty seconds into OT, Dylan Guenther ended it. Five straight losses. All brutal. Crosby was held off the scoresheet, snapping a four-game point streak.

He now sits at 1,721 career points — just two shy of tying Lemieux. And somehow, it feels like the least important storyline in Pittsburgh.

When Bad Becomes Astronomical

This losing streak isn’t just bad. It’s almost impossible.

The Penguins lost shootouts to Dallas and Anaheim after tying goals were scored with under two minutes — and with 0.1 seconds — left in regulation. They dropped a winnable game to Montreal despite near-total control. They blew a 5–1 third-period lead against San Jose, something that hadn’t happened since 1976. Then they gave away a 3–0 lead to Utah, getting outshot 17–6 in the final frame.

Statistically, Pittsburgh had a 99.9 percent chance to win the San Jose game and a 97.9 percent chance to beat Utah. Losing both comes out to a 0.0021 percent probability. That's roughly 1 in 47,619. That’s not a slump. That’s a nightmare.

Waiting for the Moment That Changes Everything

Penguins fans will hope Crosby reaches Lemieux’s mark in a win — maybe even one that finally flips Pittsburgh's curse of blown leads and shootout misery. Milestones are supposed to feel joyful, not sad and heavy.

If there’s any silver lining, it’s that Evgeni Malkin has missed all five losses with injury. It gives fans a convenient explanation, even if it doesn’t fully excuse the collapses. Could this slump be a sign that it’s finally time for Kyle Dubois to resign Geno?

History is still coming for Crosby. The question now is whether the Penguins can stabilize long enough to let that moment shine, or if it will arrive buried beneath another third-period meltdown.

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Sam Len
SAMUEL LEN

Sam Len is a content editor, writer, and digital strategist with a lifelong passion for hockey. Growing up just north of Toronto, the game was never just background noise—it was part of everyday life. The Pittsburgh Penguins were the first team that captured his imagination, and he still remembers watching Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal at the 2010 Olympics like it was yesterday. Over time, his love for the sport expanded to include the Tampa Bay Lightning, blending his appreciation for classic grit with modern speed and skill. Between 2024 and 2025, Sam worked as a content editor at Covers, where he helped shape sports and gaming content for top-tier brands including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Bet99. He’s also written for Bolts by the Bay and Pro Football Network, covering everything from Tampa Bay Lightning analysis to trending stories across the NHL, NFL, and NBA.

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