Shootout goal propels Penguins

Associated Press

washington

Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins used their first game this season against the Washington Capitals to set some high expectations for the Winter Classic.

Crosby extended his points streak to 23 games with a goal and an assist, and Pascal Dupuis scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of a shootout to give the Penguins a 3-2 victory Thursday night.

“You almost could have wished this was the outdoor game,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said, “but it’s a prelude for sure.”

The preview of the New Year’s Day matchup between the teams at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field will be hard to top. But Crosby thinks Thursday’s game is a perfect selling point.

“People outside of hockey fans, I think they learned a little more about each team and the guys on each team,” he said. “It might be a little more intense because of that, but I think as far as both teams are concerned, it’s probably pretty high as it is.”

Crosby, the NHL’s leading scorer with 60 points on 29 goals and 31 assists in 36 games, has the league’s longest points streak since 1992-93 when Quebec’s Mats Sundin had a 30-game run.

“I try not to think about it, just go out there and do the same thing every night and hope that I capitalize and create things,” Crosby said. “You’ve still got to evaluate your game. It’s not always based on points.”

Chris Kunitz also scored to help the Penguins win their third straight and 15th in 17 games.

Dupuis converted a wrister from the inside edge of the right circle, ending the shootout after Marc-Andre Fleury used his skate to block Mike Green’s drive at the right post for his sixth straight save.

“Without [Fleury] and his play it’s a much different outcome,” Crosby said. “At the start, at the end, all the way through — he was a big part of us finding a way to win tonight.”