The Pittsburgh Penguins trounced Los Angeles 5-1 on Monday night, ending the Kings’ nine-game home winning streak, thanks to milestone goals from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauvillier, and Crosby each contributed an assist and a goal. The Penguins also had a goal from Cody Glass, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves.
David Rittich made 27 saves, while Adrian Kempe scored the Los Angeles goal.
At 14:09 during the first period, Crosby scored his 50th point of the season by putting a piece of Matthew Grzelcyk’s point-shoot past Rittich to make it 2-0. Crosby has scored at least 50 points in 18 or more seasons, making him the 11th player in NHL history to do so.
Malkin’s wrist shot from in front gave the Penguins a 3-0 lead in the second. He equaled Jean Beliveau for 44th place on the NHL list with his 507th career goal.
Crosby and Malkin scored in the same game for the third time this season and the first time since the New York Islanders game on November 5.
Takeaways
Penguins: Crosby has three goals and seven assists for a total of 10 points in his previous 12 games. With a point each from Crosby and Malkin, Pittsburgh is 399-90-48.
Kings: In his last five games against the Penguins, Kempe has scored nine goals.
Key moment
After the devastating wildfires that destroyed most of Los Angeles, it was the Kings’ first home game. Before the game, firefighters and first responders from several departments received recognition at center ice. Both clubs’ players warmed up before games wearing LAFD caps.
Key stat
During its seven-game tour, Pittsburgh is 2-1. This is the longest away run for the team since an eight-game run in October 1997.
Up next
The Penguins will play Anaheim on Thursday while they are still in Southern California. Florida, the Stanley Cup champions, will play the Kings on Wednesday.