Crosby’s 3 goals carry Penguins past the Flames

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

A missed penalty shot prevented Sidney Crosby from accomplishing a junior version of Mario Lemieux’s most remarkable regular-season scoring feat.

Crosby scored three goals, including the 200th of his career, after Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff stopped his penalty shot and the Pittsburgh Penguins won their sixth in a row, 4-1 on Saturday behind backup goalie Brent Johnson.

Crosby already had two goals, one on a power play, before scoring short-handed into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining. If he had converted the penalty shot he missed 4:14 into the game, Crosby would have scored four goals with every possible variation: even-strength, power play, short-handed, penalty shot and empty net.

Lemieux is the only NHL player to score five goals all five ways, on Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey.

“Oh, geez, don’t tell me that,” Crosby said. “That’s one thing I never thought would ever be beat. To know I came that close, that hurts, but it was fun and, obviously, I would have liked to have put that one in.”

Crosby understands his accomplishment wouldn’t have been as impressive as Lemieux’s. Still, as teammate Alex Goligoski said, “He’s to the point where’s he’s still doing things [we haven’t seen].”

“I’ve seen him for three years and I’m still like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’ ” Goligoski said. “It’s pretty unbelievable.”

Crosby made it 2-0 in the second period after Chris Kunitz gathered his own rebound and slid it to an open Crosby at the side of the net. Crosby got No. 200 midway through the third when Paul Martin’s shot from above the circles deflected off the toe of Crosby’s stick on a power play. Crosby has 12 goals and 13 assists during a 12-game scoring streak.

The 23-year-old Crosby completed his sixth regular-season hat trick and first this season by scoring into an empty net during a Flames power play in which Calgary created a two-man advantage by pulling Kiprusoff.

Crosby has 18 goals in 25 games after tying Steven Stamkos for the NHL lead with 51 last season.

“I don’t have a number in mind. You kind of have a certain way you want to play and hope that results in goals,” Crosby said. “You have to have an idea of what you need to do to be successful.”

Something’s working. Crosby’s run coincides with the Penguins’ longest winning streak since they won seven in a row in October 2009, four months after they won the Stanley Cup.

“An elite-level player like him has great creativity in his game and a tremendous skill set,” Calgary coach Brent Sutter said. “It’s because of his work ethic, and how hard he plays every shift.”

Kiprusoff stopped 39 shots.