Making Milestones and Breaking Records: Watch Crosby Add to his Resumé as the Penguins Sail Past the Red Wings, 7-2

What a time to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan!
Today's game saw multiple milestones and memorable moments, starting with it being Evgeni Malkin's first game back after his 4-game suspension. So right off the bat, you've got your «Geno is Fire» energy. But, being gone for a week and a half takes some time to readjust, and even though the Penguins scored the first 2 goals of the game (Ruhwedel (4) and Crosby (30)), it wasn't until the Wings fought back with goals from Vrana and Rasmussen (13th for each), that they really picked things up.
Rikard Rakell scored his 20th of the season (and the GWG) 7:44 into the 2nd period, giving the Penguins the lead, 3-2. Letang followed that up, assisted by Dumoulin for his 9th.

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=735026880869022

Now, Malkin, among other things, is known for his skill on the Power Play, and sure enough, today was no exception. With the score already 4-2, Geno located a loose puck right by the net and slipped it over the line JUST before the whistle blew. It was so close, they had to review it, but it came up good! That was his 18th of the season, getting assists from Guentzel (42) and Captain Crosby (53).

https://www.facebook.com/penguins/videos/2833279080309515


Just over 5 minutes into the 3rd, Kris Letang assisted on Danton Heinen's 18th goal, giving him his 58th for the season, and second of the night. Add his goal to that and he tied his career high points of 67.
And then, of course, to help make up for lost time, Geno scored again, with 26 seconds left in the game.
Pittsburgh outshot Detroit 38-25. Greiss was pulled after the 2nd period with a .783% (18/23), and Nedeljkovic finished with a .867% (13/15). DeSmith stopped 23 of the 25 shots he faced, earning him a .920. One save, in particular, aided the Letang goal, as he dropped into the splits to deny Veleno, which allowed Letang to grab the puck and go.
Oh, and because a goal can never be just a goal for Sidney Crosby, his 30th puts him at the 28th player of all time to register 10 30+ goal seasons in his career. That same stat puts him in the franchise club with none other than Mario Lemieux and Jaromír Jágr.

https://www.facebook.com/penguins/videos/538344867878295

Overall, the Penguins had 13 players getting points in this game, and the 2 points that the team got put them over one hundred for the season.

And just remember, this is all coming off of a much-needed win to keep the Washington Capitals at bay. Pittsburgh not only got the W over the Boston Bruins the other day, but they did it with an excess of style!
Of the four goals scored by the Pennsylvanian Black and Gold, three of them were courtesy of 27 year old Nebraska native, Jake Guentzel, giving him his 5th career hat trick. His final goal also just so happened to be his 40th of the season.


Now, there are a lot of Penguins fans worried about Jarry being gone, and I think Casey DeSmith took that personally. His 52 save shut out not only broke the franchise record for most saves in a shut out, but he now sits in the 5th spot on the NHL all-time list.


Jean-Sébastien Aubin held the previous record for the Penguins with 45, and posted a congratulations tweet to DeSmith, this morning.



On a personal note, the Penguins are my hometown team. I saw these guys get picked. I've watched them come up through WBS, make their first NHL appearances (Jake got his first NHL goal the same night - his family was there and they went nuts; it was adorable) and grow into these professional young men who are essential to our success. I couldn't be more proud to be a Penguins fan, right now. I know the playoffs haven't even started yet, and we don't even know who we'll be playing when we get there. But with all the adversity we've faced this year, that we're continuing to face heading into the post-season, seeing the unwavering support that comes from our incredible coach, and the players towards each other, that means as much to me as winning. They are a team, in every sense of the word, and as we Pittsburgh fans love to say, you love to see it!