Sidney Crosby breaks Mario Lemieux's franchise scoring record as Penguins beat Canadiens in shootout to snap 8-game skid

Sidney Crosby made Pittsburgh Penguins history on Sunday night, breaking Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux’s franchise scoring record in a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby recorded an assist to move past Lemieux as the Penguins snapped an eight-game losing streak. The milestone goal capped a strong performance from the Penguins, who battled back in a tightly contested game. Crosby’s achievement added a special moment to a much-needed victory for Pittsburgh as they ended a frustrating stretch. The Canadiens pushed the game to a shootout, but the Penguins held on to secure the win and celebrate their captain’s historic night.


In his 21st NHL season, Crosby moved ahead of Lemieux in franchise history, reaching 1,724 career points with 645 goals and 1,079 assists in 1,387 games, reported NHL. Lemieux finished his Penguins career with 1,723 points, placing Crosby eighth on the NHL’s all-time scoring list. The 38-year-old center broke the record by earning an assist on a power-play goal by Rickard Rakell at 12:40 of the first period. Crosby fired a slap shot from the left circle, and after the puck deflected off Bryan Rust, Rakell buried it into an open net. Earlier, Crosby tied Lemieux by scoring at 7:58, redirecting Erik Karlsson’s slap pass from the slot.



Lemieux had held the Penguins’ franchise scoring record outright since January 20, 1989, when he recorded three points - one goal and two assists - in a road game against the original Winnipeg Jets. That performance gave Lemieux 688 career points in just 336 games, allowing him to surpass Pittsburgh’s then-assistant coach Rick Kehoe, who had 636 points. Crosby now owns the franchise record for games played and assists, and he ranks second all-time in goals for the Penguins, trailing only Lemieux.


Rickard Rakell scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Penguins edged the visiting Canadiens 4-3 on Sunday night. Rakell beat goaltender Jakub Dobes with a smooth backhand deke in the third round, giving the Penguins their first shootout victory of the season (1-5). Rakell and Sidney Crosby each recorded a goal and an assist in regulation, while Noel Acciari also scored for Pittsburgh.

According to NHL, Crosby has averaged at least one point per game in each of his first 20 NHL seasons since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2005 NHL Draft, the most in league history, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 19 seasons. As an 18-year-old rookie in 2005–06, Crosby played 26 games alongside Mario Lemieux, who retired at age 40 after his final NHL game on December 16, 2005. After being drafted, Crosby lived with Lemieux and his family in , Pennsylvania, for about five years, forming a close bond with the Penguins legend, reported NHL.