Pens Points: Crosby breaks record as team splits B2B

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished a home-and-home back-to-back set with the New York Islanders on Sunday evening.

Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning...

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished a home-and-home back-to-back set with the New York Islanders on Sunday evening. Sidney Crosby also broke Mario Lemieux’s Pittsburgh franchise career record for assists as Pittsburgh held on to beat the Islanders 3-2. [Recap]

Forward Michael Bunting came out of the gate swinging after his acquisition from the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2023-24 trade deadline. A season-opening slump raised some eyebrows about the consistency of his play in the top six, but he has seen steady improvement since the 2024-25 season began. [Trib Live]

Defenseman Marcus Pettersson rejoined the Penguins for a practice session in Cranberry on Friday in a non-contact capacity, marking the first time he has formally practiced since he was injured in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 16. [Trib Live]

Kris Letang missed Sunday night’s contest against the Islanders, which meant recently recalled blue liner, Nathan Clurman, made his NHL debut. [The Hockey News]

News and notes from around the NHL...

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes is week-to-week while forward Elias Pettersson is ‘a week away,’ while both players deal with undisclosed injuries, Rick Tocchet said on Sunday. [Sportsnet]

The NHL is investigating the Dallas Stars over a potential CBA violation during the holiday break, according to The Athletic. [The Athletic $$$]

Washington Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin, now back after rehabbing from a broken leg, shot back at Toronto media after he scored an empty-netter, saying “Every game, every goal is hard to score in this league” as the Great 8 chases Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. [Yahoo! Sports]