Sidney Crosby Takes Sole Possession of 20th for Career Playoff Points

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby notched his team's only goal in a 4-1 Game 4 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday evening.

While the tally itself isn't that notable, it takes on a different form when added to the 160 he had prior to that. The marker moved him ahead of Mike Bossy, Gordie Howe, Bobby Smith and Al MacInnis and into sole possession of 20th on the all-time scoring list, per Sportsnet Stats.

Crosby averages well over a point per game (1.31) in the regular season, but he's no slouch against the league's best in the playoffs either. Having collected 161 points over 146 postseason tilts (1.10 points per game), the 29-year-old has proved himself worthy of the first overall selection in 2005 and the hype surrounding him since the beginning of his career.

These playoffs haven't been any different for the Nova Scotia native, who has racked up 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) over 22 games. Crosby has recorded four points across the four Stanley Cup Final games.

After the Penguins started the series with two victories over Nashville at home, they proceeded to post a couple of duds on the road to even up the series. However, the Penguins own home-ice advantage in the series, requiring the Predators come into PPG Paints Arena and steal one to take home the Cup.

Pittsburgh also has experience on its side. The Penguins, who won it all last season and in 2008-09, made the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season. The Predators had never previously advanced beyond the second round, but they do lay claim to an experienced goaltender in Pekka Rinne, who's played well this postseason.

The two teams will take the ice in Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Thursday, with the winner sitting in the driver's seat to take home the title.