Penguins pound Canucks; Crosby, Letang make history

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

Yet again, Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made NHL and Pittsburgh Penguins history.

The Penguins (5-2-0) exploded for three goals in 3:08 later in the second period and coasted to a 5-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks (4-3-0) at PPG Paints Arena.

Amongst the Penguins’ onslaught of goals, Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux for most points in franchise history when regular season and playoffs are combined (1896).

For those who are fans of crisp, clean hockey with speed and excitement, most of the first two periods Tuesday were more like The Simpsons’ Tree House of Horrors. Needless passes replaced would-be scoring chances, and the necessary passes often bounced off opposing shinpads, errantly deflecting to no one.

Eventually, from the muddy game, the one to break through was an unlikely hero. Penguins forward Tommy Novak, who was acquired last March from the Nashville Predators, scored his first goal as a Penguin late in the second period, sparking the wave of offense.

Shots after 35 minutes of hockey were 13-9 for Vancouver, but the Penguins peppered Vancouver goalie Kevin Lankonen with nine shots in the final five-plus minutes of the second period, three of which hit the twine.

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