Sidney Crosby reaches another milestone as Penguins defeat Blues
Bryan Rust has been entrenched on the right wing of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top line for the better part of half a decade. And with that station comes the luxury of having the spellbinding Sidney Crosby as his center.
So, he’s had a front-row seat for the milestones Crosby keeps amassing.
Rust was witness to – and a participant in - another Monday as Crosby scored the 1,700th point of his dazzling career during a 6-3 win against the St. Louis Blues at PPG Paints Arena.
Crosby registered a secondary assist early in the third period on a goal by Rust to reach the mark.
“I don’t think he ever ceases to amaze us,” Rust said in Cranberry on Saturday. “He just keeps going, keeps working hard, keeps wanting to get better, keeps wanting to win. For him to be able to have the success that he’s had and to continue to have that fuel, I think speaks volumes about him as a person.”
Crosby largely downplayed the accomplishment and instead offered sentiments for a fan who fell from the upper bowl of the arena to the lower bowl. The unidentified spectator was taken to the hospital.
“Doesn’t feel right to be talking about points when we hear something like that,” Crosby said. “So, obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with that person and their family, and hopefully, that they’re OK. “It feels kind of weird talking about hockey when something like that happens and you find that out.”
Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 26 saves on 30 shots to boost his record to 4-1-0 as the Penguins won for the fifth time in six games (5-0-1).
A hiccup-quick two-goal outburst within the first 55 seconds of regulation gave the Penguins an early lead.
After failing to find the net in his first six games of the season, Rust extended a modest goal-scoring streak to two games with his second goal of the campaign only 39 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Claiming a puck out of a battle on the right wall of the offensive, Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson maneuvered to the high slot and drew the attention of Blues fourth-liners Alexey Toropchenko and Nick Bjugstad. That created space in the right circle for Rust, and Karlsson slipped a backhand pass to that space. With an acre of ice and a calendar of time to work with, Rust toasted goaltender Joel Hofer’s glove on the near side. Karlsson and rookie forward Filip Hallander had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) October 28, 2025
Hallander was placed on the left wing of that line in place of veteran Rickard Rakell, who underwent surgery on his left hand and is slated to be sidelined six to eight weeks.
“He’s really good on pucks,” Crosby said of Hallander. “He creates a lot of loose pucks the way he forechecks. He’s played center, so he’s pretty versatile. He can play a lot of different positions. You see him out there on the (penalty) kill. He can play down low, take faceoffs. I think his speed kind of sets up everything. But he’s got a lot of hockey sense and just really can support the puck and create plays at both ends.”
Forward Anthony Mantha’s fifth goal came on the next shift, only 16 seconds later.
From his own end boards, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang fired a stretch pass to the near blue line, where forward Justin Brazeau tapped it forward for linemate Evgeni Malkin. Entering the Blues’ zone on the right wing, Malkin cut across the slot and crisscrossed with Mantha, rushing in from the left wing. Fending off Blues defenseman Justin Faulk, Malkin drove to the lower right circle, then slipped a pass to the far side of the crease where Mantha shoved away Blues forward Jimmy Snuggerud and tapped in an easy forehand shot past Hofer, who was spun out of position. Malkin and Brazeau merited assists.
#Blues 0 @ #Penguins 2 [P1–19:05]:
Goal: Anthony Mantha (5)
7' WristerAssists: E.Malkin (13), J.Brazeau (5)#STLBlues #LetsGoPens #NHL pic.twitter.com/TVJHIwuDGH
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) October 27, 2025
Bjugstad got the visitors on the scoreboard with his second goal at 4:15 of the first period.
Settling a loose puck in the neutral zone, Bjugstad chopped it to the left wing for linemate Nathan Walker, who raced into the Penguins’ zone. Going deep toward the near corner, Walker snapped a centering feed toward the crease where Bjugstad raced past Penguins rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke and tapped in a redirection by goaltender Tristan Jarry’s right leg. Walker and defenseman Tyler Tucker tallied assists.
Nick Bjugstad - St. Louis Blues (2) pic.twitter.com/a5KddO7VYh
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 28, 2025
Blues forward Jordan Kyrou’s third goal tied the game at 15:43 of the opening frame.
After Karlsson lost a puck at St. Louis’ blue line, Blues forward Brayden Schenn claimed it and initiated a rush into the Penguins’ zone on the left wing. With Letang applying pressure, Schenn fed a pass from the left dot to the far side of the crease, where Kyrou tapped in a forehand shot behind a breakdancing Jarry. Schenn and forward Dylan Holloway had assists.
After giving up 2 goals in the first 55 seconds, it looked like this game was gonna get out of hand
But the Blues calmed down, played a better game, and now have tied the game!
That extends Kyrou's point steak to 7#stlblues pic.twitter.com/oVqNEZE3Ht
— BluesMuse (@STLBluesMuse) October 27, 2025
An unlikely source regained the lead for the Penguins when defenseman Parker Wotherspoon scored his first goal of the season, and as a member of the club, at 6:37 of the second period during a delayed penalty.
Off some puck movement on the perimeter of the offensive zone, Karlsson faked a slapper above the left circle, then slid a pass to the opposite circle for Crosby. Surveying the scene for a moment, Crosby fed it across the ice to Wotherspoon. Moving in slightly above the left dot, Wotherspoon gripped and ripped a wrister to the far side over Hofer’s glove. Crosby and Karlsson collected assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) October 28, 2025
It was Wotherspoon’s second career goal.
“I don’t score many,” Wotherspoon accurately audited. “So, it was pretty awesome. It felt like it was a good shot, and it was good to put the team up.”
Rust struck again only 42 seconds into the third period.
Calming a puck rimmed behind the St. Louis net, Crosby emerged to the right of the cage and slid a pass to the right point where Karlsson chopped a half-speed slap-pass to the slot. From below the left hashmark, Rust held his stick on the ice and deflected the puck with his backhand, causing it to glance off of Hofer’s right leg and through his five hole. Assists were claimed by Karlsson and Crosby.
Bryan Rust - Pittsburgh Penguins (3) pic.twitter.com/Fik0aEkRZ2
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 28, 2025
Rust has logged three goals in his past two games after failing to find the back of the net in his first six games of the season.
“Had some chances there early on,” Rust said. “Didn’t really go my way. But I think I just tried to keep with it. I’ve been around this league long enough (to know) the whole season is going to be a roller coaster. There’s going to be times that are great and times that aren’t.”
The Blues persisted and forward Mathieu Joseph generated his first goal of the season.
After Brunicke advanced the puck from St. Louis’ right point to the near circle, he lost possession when he ran into Bjugstad, who tapped a backhand pass off the near boards toward the blue line. Joseph took control and raced up ice into the Penguins’ zone on the left wing, creating a two-on-one rush with Toropchenko against Penguins defenseman Matt Dumba. As Dumba largely took away a passing lane to Toropchenko, Joseph elected to shoot from the left circle and sizzled a wrister to the near side by Jarry’s blocker. The lone assist belonged to Bjugstad.
Mathieu Joseph - St. Louis Blues (1) pic.twitter.com/QEfoArkdc7
— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) October 28, 2025
Crosby snuffed out any hopes of another tie with his 1,701st career point when he scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season on a breakaway.
Under pressure by Crosby at the Penguins’ right point, Blues defenseman Colton Parayko panicked a bit and backhanded an errant pass to the left circle. Rust wound up being the recipient of the charity and immediately one-touched it to the neutral zone. Having already hit the afterburners, Crosby accepted the pass, attacked the net and fired a low wrister. Hofer fought off the original shot, but Crosby followed up on the rebound and fired a forehand shot by Hofer’s left leg.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) October 28, 2025
Malkin capped the scoring with his third goal on an empty net off an assist by Brazeau.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) October 28, 2025
That score pushed the 39-year-old Malkin into a tie for first place in the NHL’s scoring race with 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) along with Vegas Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel and Utah Mammoth forward Nick Schmaltz.
“He’s finding different ways, whether it’s putting the puck in the net or setting guys up,” Crosby said of Malkin. “But I think he looks like he’s confident. And you’ve seen a couple plays that didn’t end up going in, but there would have been some nice ones there. So, it’s fun to see him going like that, and he’s been a big part of our success here early on.”
So has Crosby, as usual.
“Seventeen hundred points is incredible, Rust said. “To be a part of I don’t know how many — I’d like to say all of them — but to be part of some of them has been really cool. To be able to get the goal on his 1,700th (point), I think it’s cool.
“It’s something I’m going to remember.”
Notes:
• Prior to the game, the Penguins formally placed Rakell on injured reserve. That leaves them with 22 active players on the NHL roster, one short of the league’s limit of 23.
• Rust (444 points) surpassed forward Martin Straka (442) for 12th place on the franchise’s career scoring list.
• Wotherspoon’s first career goal came as a member of the Boston Bruins during a 6-2 home win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 14.
Parker Wotherspoon scored his second career goal Monday night.
His first came as a member of the Boston Bruins during a 6-2 home win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 14. pic.twitter.com/SMYmDYXD7Y
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) October 28, 2025
• Malkin (39 years, 88 days) is the third-oldest player to score an empty netter for the Penguins.
Forward Gary Roberts (41 years, 214 days) has the mark. He scored in a 4-2 win against the Boston Bruins at the Mellon Arena, Dec. 23, 2007.
Also finding an empty net goal at an advanced age was forward Matt Cullen (40 years, 31 days). He scored in a 5-3 win against the Detroit Red Wings at PPG Paints Arena, Dec. 3, 2016.
• Brazeau has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 10 games. He set a career high of 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 76 games last season.
• Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton and forward Philip Tomasino were healthy scratches.
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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