Crosby nets hat trick to lead Penguins over Stars
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DALLAS (AP) — Sidney Crosby had three goals and an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to beat the Dallas Stars 5-3 on Saturday.
Bryan Rust and Blake Lizotte also scored to help the Penguins get their second win in three games. Tristan Jarry stopped 21 shots.
Evgenii Dadonov scored three goals for his second hat trick, and Casey DeSmith finished with 35 saves as Dallas snapped a seven-game win streak and 10-game point streak (8-0-2).
Rust tied it 3-3 at 8:49 of the third period as he got a pass in front from Crosby, staked around a sprawled DeSmith and put a backhander into the open net. It was Rust's 200th NHL goal.
Lizotte put the Penguins ahead 4-3 with 1:43 remaining, and Crosby completed his 14th career regular season hat trick with an empty-netter for his 30th goal with 15 seconds to go.
Crosby tied it 2-2 just 20 seconds into the third, getting a centering pass from Rutger McGroarty on the goal line back in front and redirecting a backhander past DeSmith.
Dadonov finished his hat trick at 3:11 to put the Stars back in front as he beat Jarry from the right side with a backhander.
Crosby gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a power- play goal 4:16 into the game. Dadonov tied it 6 1/2 minutes later.
Dadonov put the Stars ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal from below the left circle with 7:24 left in the second.
Takeaways
Penguins: Pittsburgh began the day nine points out of a playoff spot and got its third win in eight games (3-3-2).
Stars: Dallas lost for the first time since March 14 at Winnipeg, and lost at home in regulation for just the eighth time this season.
Key moment
With the score tied late, Stars defensemen Thomas Harley and Cody Ceci ran into each other and turned the puck over in their defensive zone, Danton Heinen fed Blake Lizotte, who beat DeSmith for the go-ahead goal with 1:43 left.
Key stat
Crosby has 11 goals and nine assists during a 12-game point streak, the longest active point streak in the NHL and the fourth-longest of his career. It is also tied Jean Beliveau (1970-71), Brett Hull (2003-04), Joe Sakic (2006-07) and Mathieu Schneider (2006-07) for the longest point streak by a player 37 or older in NHL history.
Up next
Penguins play at Chicago on Sunday to open a home-and-home set, and Stars visit Minnesota.
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