Crosby Moves to 9th on NHL Points List as Penguins Defeat Oilers

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to move into ninth place on the NHL’s all-time scoring list, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby’s performance helped the Penguins snap a three-game losing streak.

Crosby, the Penguins’ captain, reached 1,643 career points (604 goals, 1,039 assists), surpassing Hall of Famer Joe Sakic (1,641) and now trails only Mario Lemieux (1,723) for eighth place. Crosby’s milestone came during a dominant first period, where the Penguins built a 4-1 lead. Rickard Rakell, Bryan Rust, Kevin Hayes, and Drew O’Connor all scored for Pittsburgh, while goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 40 saves.

Leon Draisaitl scored twice for the Oilers, and Connor McDavid added three assists, but Edmonton’s four-game winning streak came to an end. Stuart Skinner stopped 21 shots in the loss.

The Penguins took control early, with Rakell opening the scoring at 3:19 of the first period. Rust and Hayes extended the lead before Draisaitl got the Oilers on the board. O’Connor and Crosby added goals in the second period, with Crosby’s power-play marker at 5:42 proving decisive. Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored late for Edmonton, but the Oilers couldn’t complete the comeback.

The win was Pittsburgh’s first over Edmonton since December 20, 2019. The Penguins improved to 18-17-8, while the Oilers fell to 25-13-3. Edmonton will look to rebound on Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks, while Pittsburgh continues its homestand against the Ottawa Senators.