As a Penguins fan, you may have been distracted by the stars on display Monday night at PPG Paints Arena during a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
Sidney Crosby scored from an impossible angle, to go along with two assists.
No angle? No problem.
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 15, 2021
Just Sidney Crosby things. pic.twitter.com/sZkfu7ydRx
Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist as well.
Fun fact: Evgeni Malkin has points in each of his last eight home games (3G-9A). He also has an eight-game point streak. #NHL101 pic.twitter.com/l7Mxqim0MI
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 16, 2021
That gave Malkin his 1,100th career point. According to NHL public relations, only four other active players (Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau) have that many. And Geno only needed 950 games to reach that plateau. Of that group, only Crosby got there faster (850 games).
Jake Guentzel added an empty netter (his fourth straight game with a goal), and All-Star goalie Tristan Jarry was excellent stopping 42 of 43 shots.
❌??♂️⛔️ pic.twitter.com/bTjXORwtKv
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 16, 2021
So while all that good stuff was going on, you may have missed some other nuggets across the NHL Monday night.
In the East Division, the Washington Capitals became the latest team to take advantage of the slumping Buffalo Sabres, shutting them out 6-0. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek got his first career shutout. It’s 11 straight defeats for the Sabres and five straight wins for the Caps.
Washington (40) maintains a three-point lead on the Penguins (37) for second place in the East. The red-hot New York Islanders — with nine consecutive victories — sit atop the division with 42 points.
Former Penguins were all over this game. Conor Sheary and Justin Schultz both had a pair of assists and Daniel Sprong scored a goal.
Daniel. Sprong. ? pic.twitter.com/4QqJxHVtyy
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 16, 2021
As for the Philadelphia Flyers, they are still stuck in fifth place with 31 points but closed within a point of Boston (32) thanks to a 5-4 victory against the New York Rangers.
In the Canadian Division, Pittsburgh Hornets alum J.T. Miller got an overtime game-winner for the Vancouver Canucks as they downed the Ottawa Senators 3-2.
No doubt about it! Miller wins it in OT! ? pic.twitter.com/0DgwqINP9k
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) March 16, 2021
That was his eighth of the year.
Out west, ex-Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights edged the San Jose Sharks 2-1. Fleury stopped 23 of 24 shots.
Fleury has the diving poke check down to a science ? pic.twitter.com/NXRjH5cSQm
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 16, 2021
He is now 15-5, with a 1.77 goals against average and .936 save percentage. It is career win No. 481. Fleury needs three more to tie Ed Belfour for fourth place all-time on the goaltending victory list.
