Sidney Crosby's 800th Assist, Blues Extend Winning Streak, Top Highlights

Sidney Crosby added another milestone to his historic resume Tuesday night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain produced his 800th assist in a 7-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

In addition to Crosby hitting the milestone, Bryan Rust recorded a hat trick for the Metropolitan Division side, which is fighting for second place with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Over in the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues extended the best winning streak in the NHL to eight games by beating the New York Rangers. The win kept the Blues three points above the Colorado Avalanche, who have the second-longest winning run in the league at seven games.

Tuesday NHL Scores

Montreal 6, New York Islanders 2

St. Louis 3, New York Rangers 1

Pittsburgh 7, Ottawa 3

Boston 2, Tampa Bay 1

Minnesota 3, Nashville 1

Winnipeg 3, Buffalo 1

Chicago 6, Anaheim 2

Edmonton 2, Dallas 1 (final/OT)

Vegas 3, New Jersey 0

San Jose 5, Toronto 2

Sidney Crosby's 800th Assist

Bryan Rust's Hat Trick

Auston Matthews' 46th Goal

Brayden Schenn's Wraparound Goal

Jake DeBrusk Fights Off Defender, Scores on Break

Kevin Fiala's Incredible Moves Set Up Tally

Kyle Connor Scores Twice

Dylan Strome's 2 Goals Lead Blackhawks Rout

Alex Chiasson's Overtime Game-Winner

Robin Lehner's 1st Shutout For Vegas

Mitch Marner Uses Great Stick Work To Score

Crosby Records 800th Assist in Penguins Win

Crosby joined Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Adam Oates and Bryan Trottier on the list of players to have recorded their 800th assist in fewer than 1,000 games, per NHL Public Relations:

The Penguins forward recorded a goal and two assists in the victory, which broke his team's six-game losing streak.

Crosby was aware of the milestone, but like most players this time of year, his focus shifted back to the playoff race quickly, per NHL.com's Wes Crosby.

"It's a nice number," he said. "I mean, it took long enough here. So glad I got it, and try to move on."

The seven-goal outburst was a welcome sight after the Penguins totaled eight goals during their six-game losing streak. It marked the seventh time this season that Pittsburgh racked up seven or more goals in a victory, according to the team's public relations department:

The win moved the Penguins to within one point of Philadelphia for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Pittsburgh can attempt to gain ground on the first-place Washington Capitals on Saturday, but it still has a difficult stretch ahead in the next two weeks.

The Penguins play four of their next six contests away from home, starting with Thursday's trip to take on the Buffalo Sabres.

St. Louis Extends Winning Streak to 8 Games

The Stanley Cup champion became the first Western Conference side to hit the 90-point mark Tuesday.

St. Louis used goals from Colton Parayko, Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz to down the New York Rangers and extend the Blues' winning run to eight games.

Blues head coach Craig Berube said the matchup felt like a playoff contest, with the Rangers battling for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot, per NHL.com's David Satriano.

"They're fighting for a playoff spot," he said. "You're going to get hard games. They're not going to give you an inch out there. There's no room. It's tight hockey. It's playoff hockey already, and that's what it was like tonight."

Each of their past seven victories came against teams in the playoff hunt, with two over the Central Division rival Dallas Stars.

While the Blues have extended their advantage over the Stars to eight points, they have not put away the Avalanche because they are on a seven-game winning run.

The two sides don't meet again until April 7, but the Blues could open up a lead in the next week since their schedule gets easier.

The Florida Panthers and Chicago Blackhawks are the best squads on their docket in the next five contests, and those two sides are fifth and sixth in their respective wild-card races.

Wednesday NHL Schedule

Philadelphia at Washington (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Columbus at Calgary (8:30 p.m. ET)

Anaheim at Colorado (9:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN) 

Arizona at Vancouver (10:30 p.m. ET)

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from NHL.com.