Crosby's record-breaking 1034th assist, perfect power play, and more: 3 reasons behind Pittsburgh Penguins' 3-2 win over New York Islanders

The Pittsburgh Penguins edged the New York Islanders 3-2 on Sunday night at PPG Paints Arena. With the win, the Penguins improved to 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, while the Islanders continued to lose ground in the Metropolitan Division.

Sidney Crosby had a historic night, surpassing Mario Lemieux for the most assists in Pittsburgh Penguins history with 1,034. Michael Bunting, Anthony Beauvillier, and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins, while Anders Lee and Bo Horvat tallied goals for the Islanders.

Here’s a look at the three key reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Islanders on Sunday night.

3 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins edged New York Islanders

#1. Solid performance from Alex Nedeljkovic

Alex Nedeljkovic got the start on Sunday night and delivered a strong performance. The Penguins goaltender made 20 saves en route to the win. Despite allowing two late goals, Nedeljkovic stood tall as the Islanders pushed to complete the comeback.

Notably, the Penguins outshot the Islanders 15-10 in the third period, but it was the Islanders who capitalized on their scoring chances. Without Nedeljkovic’s key saves, the game could have ended in a tie or worse for Pittsburgh.

#2. Penguins’ perfect power play

The Islanders’ struggles on special teams continued, as the Penguins scored twice on the power play, finishing 2-for-2 on the night. Michael Bunting made it 2-0 with his 11th goal of the season just over a minute into the second period.

Later, Evgeni Malkin notched the eventual game-winner — his eighth goal of the season — at 6:57 of the third period. Malkin’s power-play tally proved to be the difference, as the Islanders couldn’t close the gap in the game's final minutes.

#3. Crosby’s assist record

Sidney Crosby registered one assist on the night, but it was a monumental one. With his assist on Bunting’s power-play goal, Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux to become the Penguins’ all-time assist leader.

Crosby’s 1,034th assist also ranks him 12th on the NHL’s all-time assists list, just six behind Marcel Dionne for 11th place. He leads all active players in career assists. The next closest are Patrick Kane (822), Evgeni Malkin (821) and Anze Kopitar (819).

Crosby and the Penguins will look to continue their winning ways on New Year’s Eve as they visit the Detroit Red Wings for an inter-division clash.