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Crosby stars in victory

2 min read

The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby matched Wayne Gretzky for the seventh-most goals with a single franchise in NHL history, and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Sunday.

"Any time you can be in (Gretzky's) company, I think it's definitely a good thing," Crosby said. "Usually (Gretzky) or Mario (Lemieux) are kind of on their own for most things. It's nice to be there."

Crosby, Lars Eller, Reilly Smith and Valtteri Puustinen each had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which won for the second time in three games following a four-game losing streak. Michael Bunting and Drew O'Connor also scored.

Crosby's 583rd career goal, his first in 12 games and No. 33 on the season, helped the Penguins keep their playoff hopes alive after dealing star winger Jake Guentzel at the trade deadline.

Alex Nedeljkovic, who spent the previous two seasons with the Red Wings, stopped 25 shots for Pittsburgh.

"Those games are always fun to play in," Nedeljkovic said. "We're chasing these guys for a playoff spot. To get two points was huge, especially in regulation."

Lucas Raymond scored twice for Detroit, which lost for the eighth time in nine games. Christian Fischer added his fourth of the season, and Alex Lyon made 32 saves.

"We'll get a much-needed day off (Monday) and we'll refocus Tuesday with another opportunity," Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said.

Pittsburgh moved within five points of Detroit for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

Saturday's game

Artemi Panarin had two goals and three assists, helping the New York Rangers zoom past the Penguins for a 7-4 victory on Saturday.

Starting at /week.