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Penguins Duo Joins NHL Legends in Rare Company

The Pittsburgh Penguins' Hall of Fame duo reached elite company as they each reached historic achievements on the ice.

Jacob Punturi

Mar 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts with left wing Jason Zucker (16) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) after Crosby scored the game winning power play goal in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Mar 7, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts with left wing Jason Zucker (16) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) after Crosby scored the game winning power play goal in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. Pittsburgh won 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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It was a banner night for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their superstar duo. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, teammates for 19 straight seasons in Pittsburgh, both reached some incredible milestones during their contest against the Buffalo Sabres.

During an overtime victory for the Penguins, Crosby became the 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,600 points in his career. Later on in the same matchup, Malkin became the 48th NHL player to score 500 goals.

With Malkin's tally, he put himself and Crosby into historic company. They became just the second pair of teammates ever to score 500 goals with the same team. The only other pair to accomplish this before was Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri of the Edmonton Oilers, who accomplished the feat back in the 1980's.

Malkin's 500th goal also placed the Penguins' organization into a category that was previously occupied solely by the Montreal Canadiens. The Pens became the second team in the history of the NHL to have three 500-goal scorers. Malkin became the third in team history, joining Crosby and franchise icon Mario Lemieux, who finished his career with 690 goals in just 915 games.

Malkin is on fire to start the 2024-2025 season,. He has 11 points in the team's first five games. At age 38, it's an incredible thing to witness. He's rewinding the clock so far this campaign and seems like he's detemined to have another dominating season before he hangs up his skates.

Crosby is right there with him at age 37. He has one goal and four assists through the first five games, but it's not just the offense that is evident. His 200-foot game is as good as it's ever looked, with his face-off percentage tops in the league and his defensive awareness giving him a sixth sense in his own zone. It's easy to see how both him and Malkin are able to keep producing and put themselves and the organization into more of the NHL history books.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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