Sidney Crosby scores 600th career NHL goal, but Penguins fall to Utah 6-1
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby scored his 600th NHL goal for Pittsburgh on Saturday night but the Penguins lost 6-1 to the Utah Hockey Club.
Dylan Guenther scored twice, while Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain, Mikhail Sergachev and Alexander Kerfoot also scored for Utah.
Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots for Utah.
Crosby is the 21st player in NHL history to score 600 goals. He reached the milestone with 10 seconds left on a five-on-three power play and now has seven goals in his last 12 games. Crosby finished a one-timer from the right side of the net, set up on a pass from Erik Karlsson at 3:11 of the second period.
Karlsson surpassed Borje Salming for 15th place on the NHL’s career assists list among defensemen.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 24 saves for Pittsburgh.
Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are the only active players with at least 600 NHL goals. Crosby is the seventh player in NHL history to score 600 goals with one team and joined Mario Lemieux (690) as the only two Penguins to score 600 goals with the franchise. Pittsburgh is the second team in NHL history with multiple 600-goal scorers, joining Detroit’s Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman.
Takeaways
Utah: Snapped a three-game losing streak.
Penguins: Crosby’s milestone goal couldn’t prevent Pittsburgh from losing for the 14th time in its last 18 games. Pittsburgh has given up at least four goals in six of its last 10 games.
Key moment
Bjugstad, who spent parts of two seasons with Pittsburgh, gave Utah the momentum and a 3-1 lead just 7:26 after Crosby’s goal.
Key stat
Crosby and Wayne Gretzky are the only players in NHL history with at least 600 goals, 1,600 points, three Stanley Cups and two Conn Smythe trophies.
Up next
Utah: Visits Toronto on Sunday.
Penguins: Close a five-game homestand Wednesday night against Vancouver.