Whatever the Pittsburgh Penguins will accomplish with what remains of the 2024-25 season, forward Sidney Crosby will likely be the driving force behind it.

That was evident Saturday as he recorded a hat trick as well as an assist while buoying his team to a 5-3 win against one of the NHL’s top teams, the Dallas Stars, at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

“Those are fun,” Crosby said of his hat trick while speaking with reporters in Dallas via audio provided by the team’s media relations staff. “They don’t come along often.”

Also aiding the Penguins’ cause was the return of forward Evgeni Malkin, who had been scratched in the previous four games because of an undisclosed injury.

Opening Saturday’s contest in his typical station as the second-line center, Malkin had an assist while logging 18 minutes, 24 seconds of ice time on 23 shifts. He also had three shots on six attempts and was 10 for 19 (53%) on faceoffs.

This entanglement seemed like a mismatch entering the day. The Penguins are likely to miss the postseason for the third consecutive year whereas the Stars have an opportunity to enter the playoffs with the NHL’s top overall record.

Yet, the Penguins managed to claim victory by rebounding from two separate one-goal deficits.

“We just played in their face,” Penguins forward Bryan Rust said to reporters in Dallas. “I don’t think we were intimidated by them or their lineup.”

Crosby opened the scoring with his 28th goal of the season during a power-play scenario 4:16 into regulation.

Off a give-and-go sequence, Crosby flicked a backhand pass from Dallas’ left half-wall to the near corner for Malkin. Surveying his options for a moment, Malkin fed a pass to the left circle intended for Penguins rookie forward Rutger McGroarty, but a stick lift by Stars forward Wyatt Johnson spoiled those ambitions.

The puck wound up sliding to the upper-left hashmark where an alert Crosby captured it and wired a wrister past the blocker of ex-Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith on the near side. Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang had assists.

Power play goal for Pittsburgh!

Scored by Sidney Crosby with 15:44 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

Dallas: 0Pittsburgh: 1#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/kGxZC270nT

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Stars forward Evgenii Dadonov’s 17th goal tied the score at 10:43 of the first period.

Skating the puck out of the defensive zone and to the neutral zone, Stars rookie forward Oskar Back backhanded a pass up the left wing boards, allowing Dadonov to gain the Penguins’ blue line. Surging past Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson with irreducible encumbrance, Dadonov attacked the net and lifted a wrister under goaltender Tristan Jarry’s right armpit and into the cage. Back and rookie defenseman Lian Bischel logged assists.

Dallas goal!

Scored by Evgenii Dadonov with 09:17 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Oskar Bäck and Lian Bichsel.

Dallas: 1Pittsburgh: 1#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/Gp4SeJAsta

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

The hosts took a lead at 12:36 of the second period when Dadonov scored again during a power-play opportunity.

Keeping the puck in the offensive zone at the right point, Stars defenseman Matthew Dumba rimmed it up the near wall toward the right corner for Stars forward Matt Duchene. Turning to his left, Duchene fed a clever backhand pass to the lower left circle. Evading the detection of Penguins forward Blake Lizotte, Dadonov slammed in a forehand shot by the blocker of a helpless Jarry on the near side. Duchene and Dumba were deemed worthy of assists.

Power play goal for Dallas!

Scored by Evgenii Dadonov with 07:24 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Matt Duchene and Mathew Dumba.

Dallas: 2Pittsburgh: 1#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/rWN1s13n7H

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Crosby’s second goal of the contest came only 20 seconds into the third period.

Chasing down a loose puck on Dallas’ end boards, Stars defenseman Cody Ceci was pressured by a forechecking Rust and lost possession. The errant puck wound up to the right of the cage where McGroarty claimed it and immediately fed a backhand pass below the lower left hashmark for Crosby.

Crosby leaned on his left knee and elevated a forehand shot to the near side by DeSmith’s blocker. McGroarty merited the only assist.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Sidney Crosby with 19:40 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Rutger McGroarty.

Dallas: 2Pittsburgh: 2#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/ilcLEqGsFN

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Dadonov completed his second career hat trick at 3:11 of the third.

Accepting the puck at the left point of the offensive zone, Stars defenseman Thomas Harley motored his way across the ice and threaded a backhand pass toward the crease. Dadonov escaped pressure from Penguins forward Philip Tomasino, settled the puck at the right of the crease and lifted a backhander that clunked between Jarry’s glove and left leg before transiting into the cage. Harley and defensive partner Ilya Lyubushkin had assists.

Dallas goal!

Scored by Evgenii Dadonov with 16:49 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Thomas Harley and Ilya Lyubushkin.

Dallas: 3Pittsburgh: 2#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/dXQFc8Dzbp

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

The Penguins persisted and tied the score again via Rust’s 28th goal at 8:49 of the third frame.

Under pressure by Rust, Lyubushkin tried to play a puck dumped into Dallas’ end boards but tumbled to the ice. In the process, Harley was unable to cleanly take Lyubushkin’s attempt at a pass in the right corner, yielding possession to Crosby who immediately shoveled a backhand pass to the right of the cage for Rust. Going forehand to backhand, Rust curled around the front of the blue paint and fired a backhander by the right skate of an outstretched DeSmith. The lone assist went to Crosby.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Bryan Rust with 11:11 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Sidney Crosby.

Dallas: 3Pittsburgh: 3#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/oOMQuA2esd

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Lizotte scored the winning goal — and the 11th of his season — at 18:17 of the final period thanks to a clumsy miscue by the hosts.

Lugging the puck from behind his own cage, Harley collided with Ceci near Dallas’ left point and lost possession. Penguins forward Danton Heinen accepted the charity and created a two-on-one rush against Harley with Lizotte. As Harley leaned down in the left circle in hopes of creating an impediment, Heinen offloaded an easy forehand pass to the opposite circle for Lizotte who stroked a one-timer that slipped behind DeSmith’s left hip on the near side. Heinen had the only assist.

Pittsburgh goal!

Scored by Blake Lizotte with 01:43 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Danton Heinen.

Dallas: 3Pittsburgh: 4#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/nxuq52VEXo

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Crosby capped the scoring on an empty net only 28 seconds later off an assist by defenseman Conor Timmins.

Empty net goal for Pittsburgh!

Scored by Sidney Crosby with 01:15 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by Conor Timmins.

Dallas: 3Pittsburgh: 5#PITvsDAL #TexasHockey #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/DTce7sgJBZ

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Jarry stopped 21 of 24 shots as his record improved to 14-11-6.

Notes:

• It was a long time between hat tricks for these franchises against one another.

Before Saturday, the Penguins’ last hat trick against this franchise was when it was still the Minnesota North Stars. Almost 30 years ago to the day, forward Robbie Brown scored three times in an 8-6 home win at the Civic Arena on March 4, 1990.

Goaltender Jarmo Myllys gave up two of the goals, and the third was on an empty net.

As for the Stars, forward Joe Nieuwendyk pulled off the feat in a 5-2 road win Nov. 5, 1997. Goaltender Ken Wregget gave up two of the goals, and Peter Skudra surrounded the third.

• The Penguins snapped a four-game losing streak against the Stars (0-4-0). It was their longest active losing streak against any opponent.

Now, that designation belongs to four different three-game losing streaks against the Carolina Hurricanes (0-2-1), Seattle Kraken (0-3-0), Tampa Bay Lightning (0-2-1) and Winnipeg Jets (0-3-0).

• Rust’s goal was the 200th of his career.

• In 25 career games against the Stars, Crosby has 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists).

• Penguins forwards Boko Imama (bicep), Joona Koppanen (healthy) and Tommy Novak (undisclosed injury) as well as defenseman Vladislav Koylachonok (healthy) were scratched.

After the game began, Koppanen was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

• Dadonov’s previous career hat trick came against the Penguins during his time as a member of the Florida Panthers

He scored the winning goal against goaltender Matt Murray in a 6-5 home victory on Feb. 24, 2018. Jarry gave up the first goal, and Murray yielded the last two.

EVGENII DADONOV FINISHED THE HAT TRICK AND THE PANTHERS LEAD LATE! 6-5! WOWWWWWW!

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— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 25, 2018

• DeSmith faced the Penguins for the first time in his career. He spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Penguins.

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