Two More From Crosby Push Pittsburgh Penguins' Winning Streak to 11

Through two periods, all was well for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Sidney Crosby was already on hat trick watch, helping his team to the cusp of their 11th consecutive victory as they led the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-0 after 40 minutes at CONSOL Energy Center Wednesday.

However, a double-digit winning streak isn’t built on the exploits of one player alone, as the first-place Penguins demonstrated yet again.

Mark Letestu contributed his first two-goal game in the NHL, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury weathered a third-period onslaught to propel Pittsburgh to a 5-2 win. The 11-game winning streak is second in franchise history to the 17 straight claimed by the President’s Trophy-winning 1992-93 Penguins, which is also the NHL record.

Chris Kunitz added three primary assists for Pittsburgh, two of which set up goals 25 and 26 for linemate Crosby, pushing his lead in the scoring race to 10 over Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos, who was idle Wednesday. Crosby now has 50 points in the season’s first 30 games for the first time in his six-year career.

Fleury stopped 23 of 25 shots in improving to 10-0-0 in his last 10 starts. Pittsburgh hasn't lost a game in regulation since Nov. 10, collecting at least a point in 13 straight games (12-0-1).

The Penguins (20-8-2, 42 points) moved three points up on Philadelphia for first in the Atlantic after the Flyers lost in a shootout to San Jose. Pittsburgh, which dominated the first two periods, is also in first place overall in the NHL.

Toronto (10-13-4, 24 points) attempted a reprise of their late comeback Monday in Washington, when they trailed 4-1 after two periods, but remained in last place in the Northeast Division. Tyler Bozak and Mikhail Grabovski netted goals for the Leafs, who launched 15 shots at Fleury in the third.

Although it would take 60 minutes to extend the winning streak, Crosby needed less than nine to write his name on the scoresheet for the 17th straight game, two shy of his career-best run during the 2007-08 season.

About 20 seconds after escaping the penalty box—he had retaliated against former teammate and friend Colby Armstrong during an early Penguins power play—Crosby busted into the Toronto zone and dropped the puck to Kunitz, who quickly gunned a shot off the left post.

With goaltender Jonas Gustavsson searching for the rebound, Crosby tucked his league-leading 25th goal of the season inside the right post on his second attempt at 8:35. Kunitz was awarded the primary assist, giving him a four-game scoring streak of his own.

The Penguins went on to outshoot Toronto 13-4 in the frame, but Gustavsson held firm to keep the score 1-0 at the first intermission. Third-liners Chris Conner and Mark Letestu enjoyed the best chances after Crosby’s goal, but were rejected by the 6'3" Swede.

Fleury countered his counterpart midway through the second with the Leafs on their third power play. With Craig Adams off for boarding, the Penguins goalie challenged both Phil Kessel and Tomas Kaberle on point-blank shots, stopping both and keeping the home side in the lead.

Before the Toronto advantage expired, though, Pascal Dupuis chipped a loose puck past Kaberle at the point to send Kunitz and himself in alone on a shorthanded 2-on-0. After a quick exchange with Kunitz at the blue line, Dupuis snapped the puck high over Gustavsson, who was forced to cheat over in anticipation of a backdoor pass to Kunitz.

Fewer than two minutes later, the third line cashed in to make it 3-0 following hard work behind the Toronto goal. Conner found Tyler Kennedy in front, who was taken down, but the puck skidded to Letestu. The rookie center then beat Gustavsson from the low slot with 6:47 remaining in the period.

The even-strength marker was Letestu’s first since Oct. 18 against Ottawa, a span of 22 games without one. He had begun his first NHL season with four goals in his first seven matches.

Crosby also had four in his first seven, but he merely added his 22nd since then to complete a 2-on-1 with Kunitz. Brooks Orpik sent the blazing-hot duo away with a transition pass after a Leafs turnover, and Crosby buried a one-timer from the right circle through Gustavsson’s legs 93 seconds after Letestu scored.

Pittsburgh carried the 4-0 lead into the third, when the proceedings got rough. There had already been two fights in the first two periods, and the two teams tacked on two more in the early moments of the period, both in response to hits on star players.

Mike Rupp tangled with Mike Komisarek, who earlier brawled with Arron Asham, after Rupp boarded Kessel. Soon after that scrap, Jay Rosehill took a run at Crosby, leading enforcer Eric Godard to drop the gloves with Rosehill. During the scrum, Crosby was given four minutes in penalties, giving Toronto an opening.

The Leafs did their best to climb through that window, as Bozak roofed a backhand shot off Kessel’s rebound during the ensuing power play, pulling Toronto within 4-1 with more than 15 minutes left.

The Penguins killed Crosby’s second minor, but the shifty Grabovski made the home fans squirm by rifling a wrister over Fleury’s glove off an assist from Kaberle. Suddenly, the Leafs were clicking offensively with 11:22 to go.

When Matt Cooke went to the box at 9:42, the pressure was on the Penguins’ second-ranked penalty kill to keep the game under control. Fleury led the defensive stand, stoning Kessel on a quick shot from the left circle, followed by an aggressive save on Tim Brent after Cooke’s penalty expired.

Letestu capped off his first two-goal game with 2:54 left, patiently waiting for Kris Versteeg to drop down before beating Gustavsson over the left arm with an accurate shot.  

Quotable

“It’s nice, but it’s only December. I appreciate it, don’t get me wrong, but I want to keep going. It’s a credit to the great fans we have here.” Sidney Crosby, on the “MVP” chants at CONSOL Energy Center after his second goal of the game

Next

The Penguins will search for 12 in a row Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Buffalo’s HSBC Arena. The Sabres (11-13-4, 26 points) are third in the Northeast.