The Pittsburgh Penguins have risen in the standings in a season in which not much was expected of them, mainly owed to the efforts of 38-year-old Sidney Crosby. The club’s captain, leading scorer and do-everything centre will lead the Penguins into a clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night in a contest that might show just how far the visitors have climbed above expectations. The Lightning occupy the penthouse of the Atlantic Division thanks to a recent seven-game winning streak that began with a 5-1 win over New Jersey on Nov. 18. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Division side beat the rival Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 in its last game, with Crosby leading with two goals, including the deciding one to bring his season total for game-winning tallies to two. The captain now has 18 goals in just 25 games, which ranks third in the entire NHL entering Wednesday night. “I don’t think he ever ceases to amaze us. And he just keeps going, keeps working hard, keeps wanting to get better, keeps wanting to win,” said Bryan Rust, who managed a goal and two assists against the Flyers. “And I think for him to be able to have the success that he’s had, and to continue to have that fuel, I think speaks volumes to him as a person.” Crosby’s career totals in goals (59) and points (137) are the most in NHL history against the Flyers, the Penguins’ cross-state nemesis. The three-time Stanley Cup champion is now just seven points from Mario Lemieux’s franchise record of 1,723. His leads the team in goals and points (29) this season. Evgeni Malkin leads with 20 assists and has 26 points. Rust has 21 points on eight markers and 13 assists. In Tampa Bay’s streak-stopping 2-1 loss at the New York Islanders on Tuesday night, the visitors trailed 1-0 for most of the match before former Lightning winger Anthony Duclair made it 2-0. Dominic James’ second goal kept Tampa Bay from being shut out for the first time, but goaltender Ilya Sorokin was strong in the crease for the victory. “Sometimes you win some games when you don’t play that well (and) don’t deserve it,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, whose group is 10-3-0 in its last 13 outings. “Sometimes you lose games when you’ve leaned on a team and did everything quite possible, and it doesn’t go in for you. “The bounces, I guess, ran out for us.” His club heads home for a two-game stretch, which features a return match against the Islanders, before trekking north for a four-game trip. Forward Brandon Hagel skated in his 400th career game but saw his five-game point streak (eight goals, four assists) end. Hagel has 15 goals and 12 helpers in 25 games, tying him with Jake Guentzel for second on the team with 27 points. Nikita Kucherov leads the group with 32 points -- 11 goals and 21 assists in 24 matches. The top line’s right wing, Kucherov needs just one point to notch 100 for his fourth straight calendar year. He would join Edmonton Oilers star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, each of whom has done it four times from 2021 to 2024, as the only active players to do so.
