Sidney Crosby made the stat sheet in his first night back after missing 40 games due to concussion symptoms. He assisted on Chris Kunitz' goal to open up the third period, and led all players with a plus-3 rating during the Pittsburgh Penguins' 5-2 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
He spent 16 minutes on the ice, looking more or less like his former self. Defenseman Kris Letang also returned for the Pens' after a five-game absence with his own concussion issues. Pittsburgh has now won 10 straight, and looking healthier as they close the gap on the Rangers, who still sit atop Eastern Conference Standings.
Martin Biron struggled in net, starting in place of the flu-ridden Henrik Lundqvist. He stopped just 27 of 32 shots against, and the Rangers gave up five goals for the first time this season. Meanwhile, Marc Andre-Fleury had an excellent outing on the opposite end of the ice, recording 29 saves.
The Pens got on the board first, but Carl Hagelin responded 13 minutes into the first period for his 14th goal of the season. Pittsburgh pushed their lead to 3-1 before Marian Gaborik forced a one-goal game going into the third period with a 14-foot snap shot. The Rangers wouldn't get any closer the rest of the night, however, as Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis added tallies for the Penguins to close out the scoring.
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