Penguins fall to Flyers in overtime despite Sidney Crosby's milestone

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has no shortage of milestones in his career.

And he established a new one Monday when he recorded his 125th career point against the Flyers, setting a new NHL record for career scoring against that franchise.

But there was no reason to celebrate the accomplishment as the Penguins lost their second consecutive game to the Flyers, falling 2-1 in overtime at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

A goal by forward Sean Couturier at 3:54 of overtime was the difference.

Monday’s result came on the heels of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

“These are huge games, big rivalry,” Couturier said to the Associated Press in Philadelphia. “Two big wins for our team.”

Including opponents who reside outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Penguins have won three of their past 10 games (3-4-3).

Crosby previously shared the scoring mark against the Flyers with former teammate/landlord/boss Mario Lemieux, who posted 124 points against the Flyers in 71 contests.

Having first faced the Flyers as an 18-year-old in 2005, Crosby, now 36, still harbors enthusiasm for each and every entanglement with this particular foe.

“It’s changed a little bit,” Crosby said following practice in Cranberry on Sunday. “The game has evolved and changed and with that, the rivalry has probably evolved a little bit. I still think there is a certain intensity that comes with those games. Hopefully, that stays the same for a long time. It’s special to have that. As a hockey player, those are the kind of games you want to be a part of.”

Crosby secured the milestone when he opened the scoring 19:14 into regulation with his 15th goal of the 2023-24 campaign.

Winning a defensive zone puck battle against Flyers forward Travis Konecny on the end boards, Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson fed a short-area pass from the right corner to forward Bryan Rust on the near half wall. With Flyers forward Joel Farabee applying pressure, Rust flicked a backhand pass across the ice for linemate Jake Guentzel, who generated a two-on-one with Crosby against Flyers defenseman Cam York. Gaining the offensive blue line on the right wing, Guentzel drew in York and slipped a forehand pass below the left circle, where Crosby elevated a forehand shot by goaltender Carter Hart’s blocker on the near side. Guentzel and Rust had assists.

Flyers rookie forward Tyson Foerster’s fifth goal at 9:46 of the second period tied the game.

Off a slick backhanded pass in the neutral zone by Foerster, Konecny entered the offensive zone on the right wing. With Couturier driving to the cage to create space, Konecny fed a seam pass back to the left circle. With a moment to survey his shot, Foerster gripped and ripped a wrister by goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s blocker on the near side. Konecny and defenseman Risto Ristolainen registered assists.

In overtime, Couturier’s sixth goal claimed victory.

After Couturier beat Crosby on a draw in the Flyers’ left circle, Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim initiated a designed sequence by rimming the puck off the end boards to create a two-on-one attack for Konecny and Couturier against Penguins defenseman Kris Letang. Taking the pass from Sandheim entering the offensive zone on the left wing, Konecny fed Couturier, who swiped a one-timer from the right circle by Nedeljkovic’s glove on the near side. Konecny and defenseman Travis Sanheim had assists.

“When you give teams those kinds of looks, it’s hard to win,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said to the Associated Press. “Easy offense.”

Nedeljkovic, appearing in his first game since Nov. 24, was busy, making 31 saves on 33 shots as his record fell to 2-2-1.

Four of the shots Nedeljkovc faced came on the power play … the Penguins’ power play.

Once again, the Penguins’ power play struggled, going 0 for 3 (with one shot), extending a streak of games without a goal during man-advantage situations to 11.

“These guys care an awful lot about this thing,” Sullivan said Sunday in reference to the players deployed on the power play. “They take a lot of pride in it and they’re real good players. … They’re very invested.

“An important aspect of the solution is to become a simplified version of ourselves. Put pucks at the net. Go to the net.”

Notes:

• The Penguins’ last overtime loss to the Flyers was a 2-1 home setback on March 17, 2019. Oddly enough, Couturier scored the winning goal in that contest against goaltender Matt Murray.

• Penguins forward Reilly Smith has gone 14 consecutive games without a goal.

• For the season, the Penguins are now 7 for 67 on the power play, equating to a success rate of 10.5%. Only the St. Louis Blues (10.0%) and Washington Capitals (8.3%) have a worse conversion percentage.

• Beyond the base figures, the Penguins have scored power-play goals in only four of their 24 games this season.

• Penguins forward Noel Acciari was scratched for the second consecutive game due to an undisclosed injury.

• Penguins forward Vinnie Hinostorza and defenseman Dmitri Samorukov were healthy scratches.