The Pittsburgh Penguins won in a thriller vs. the Nashville Predators on Saturday night. But Sidney Crosby was the bigger story.
The Penguins looked finished when they went down 2-1 and didn’t seem to have an answer to Jayden Struble’s second-period goal. Then Crosby and Co. went to work late in the game.
Pittsburgh broke through at the 18:54 mark of the third when Crosby provided the primary assist on Rickard Rakell’s goal, forcing overtime that ultimately led to the Penguins stealing the game 3-2.
As for Crosby, he made history with that assist and is on the verge of further solidifying himself as one of the league’s best-ever players.
Per Wes Crosby of NHL.com, “With the assist, Crosby tied Ray Bourque (1,111 with the Boston Bruins) for the most assists for a single NHL franchise.”
That’s a record even Wayne Gretzky couldn’t set. Although Gretzky holds the all-time lead with 1,963 career assists, he never recorded over 1,086 with one franchise. Steve Yzerman and Mario Lemieux trail Gretzky in the category with 1,063 and 1,033, respectively.
Regardless of when Crosby sets the record, be it the next game or a few games down the road, the Penguins will be the only team with two players listed in the top five.
Crosby’s Assist On Rakell’s Game-Tying Goal Came In A Clutch Moment
So often, record-tying or record-setting milestones are just another part of the game, unless it’s something akin to Alex Ovechkin setting the all-time goals record. A player scores, provides an assist, makes another big play, and it’s just a moment with maybe a minute or two of recognition.
Crosby’s record-tying assist came with just over a minute to go in a contest that saw Pittsburgh on the verge of falling to 4-7-1 on the season. Salvageable at this point, but concerning, given how tough the Metropolitan Division’s best teams have been early on.
Heading into Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes were nine points ahead of Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers had a six-point lead, and the New Jersey Devils had just traded for one of the NHL’s best goaltenders. For Crosby to come up big in the clutch, he made that 1,111th career assist mean something.
Sidney Crosby’s Hall of Fame Resume Is About To Get Even Better
Crosby, who has at least a point per game in every season of his career, hasn’t been the same player in 2026-27. He has just seven points and three goals in 12 games, putting him on an 84-game pace for just 49 points.
Still, Crosby has reached the point in his career where he is just padding his Hall of Fame resume. One that already includes 1,768 points in 1,432 games played, an average of 101 points per 82 games, three Stanley Cups, two Rosses, two Harts, three Lindsays, two Richards, and two Conn Smythe awards.
To record a record-tying assist at such a pivotal moment of a game implies that fans will remember this one, too. Maybe not to the same extent as they will remember the Stanley Cups and other awards listed above, but one that helped the Pittsburgh Penguins keep pace early on in the Metropolitan Division.
Sidney Crosby Ties NHL Record In Penguins’ Comeback Win