Sidney Crosby sets record for most assists with single franchise, but Penguins lose to Canadiens

King Jemison, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Oct 31, 2026

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MONTREAL — Few players have meant more to a professional sports franchise than Sidney Crosby. He has another record to prove it.

Crosby passed Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins) for the most assists with a single franchise in NHL history when he dished his 1,112th career helper on Erik Karlsson’s opening goal Saturday at the Bell Center.

Crosby added a goal and another assist. But the Montreal Canadiens spoiled his big night and beat the Penguins, 5-4. Pittsburgh fell to 5-7-2 on the season.

Crosby set the record just over two minutes into the game. He slid a feed to Karlsson on the power play, and the Penguins defenseman unleashed a slap shot that beat Jacob Fowler and gave Pittsburgh an early lead.

That was just the beginning of an opening 10 minutes that was crazier than the Halloween parties raging outside.

Montreal responded about 30 seconds after Crosby’s helper history. Sergei Murashov got a clean look at Oliver Kapanen’s one-timer, but the Penguins netminder allowed a goal on the first shot for his third straight start anyway.

Murashov’s nightmare opening continued with another goal he would’ve liked back less than 30 seconds later. The Bell Center crowd exploded.

Yet the game seesawed again. Tommy Novak slipped a backhand through the five-hole on the rush off a pass from Rickard Rakell to tie it. Crosby picked up his second assist on the play. The Penguins captain, serenaded by occasional light “We want Crosby” chants, played his best game of the season Saturday.

It looked like the Canadiens took another lead before the 10-minute mark, as Cole Caufield snapped a shot in with Kaiden Guhle providing a leaping screen in front of Murashov.

But Dan Muse won the first goalie interference challenge of his career on the play. Guhle made contact with Murashov’s skate as he soared across the crease.

Murashov steadied and made some saves in the second half of the opening frame, and the 2-2 score held to the first intermission.

But it didn’t take long for the Canadiens to push ahead in the second period. Alexandre Texier ended up alone next to the crease and made a move in tight to get around Murashov for a goal less than two minutes in.

And 27 seconds later, Montreal struck again. Murashov made a sprawling save on Chris Kreider — also alone in front of the Penguins’ net — but Kreider stuck with it and flipped in the rebound.

It looked like the Canadiens were poised to run away with the game. They held a massive shots edge and a 4-2 lead.

Then Rickard Rakell scored for the third straight game to bring the Penguins within one less than 90 seconds later. Karlsson tallied his second point of the night with an assist on the play.

The Canadiens restored the two-goal lead on a lucky bounce that they probably deserved given how thoroughly they had carried play. Josh Anderson tipped a Lane Hutson shot on net. Murashov stopped it, but the rebound clanged off Kris Letang and in.

The Penguins largely dominated the third period but couldn’t close the gap for nearly 17 minutes. Then Muse pulled Murashov, and they broke through with the extra skater.

Letang fired a shot in front of the crease. Karlsson slapped the puck on net, and Fowler stopped it. Crosby was waiting and punched in the rebound to make it 5-4.

Around the boards

— The Penguins used the same lineup as they did in Thursday’s overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth. Rutger McGroarty and Ilya Solovyov were the scratches.

— It was Murashov’s first start since a rough loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 17. Arturs Silovs started the previous four games, the longest stretch for a Penguins goaltender under Dan Muse.

— Muse was 0-9 on goalie interference challenges last season. He’s 1-1 this season.

— Blake Lizotte and Owen Beck dropped the gloves for an uneventful second period scrap. It was the third fight of Lizotte’s career, per HockeyFights.com.

Up next

The Penguins return home for two games against good teams at PPG Paints Arena: Tuesday against Vegas and Thursday against Boston.