Sports Network | November 27, 2010
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) – Sidney Crosby netted the sixth hat trick of his career as the Pittsburgh Penguins continued to roll with a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at CONSOL Energy Center.
Crosby, whose second goal of the game was the 200th of his career, extended his points streak to 12 games as he now has 12 goals and 13 assists during the run. He also had a failed penalty shot attempt in the game.
Arron Asham scored the first goal and Kris Letang assisted on three tallies for the Penguins, who have ripped off a season-high six straight wins. Brent Johnson pitched a shutout until late in the third period and finished the game with 30 saves.
Rene Bourque scored the lone goal while Miikka Kiprusoff allowed three goals on 42 shots for the Flames, who were coming off a shootout win over Philly, but have now lost seven of their last nine.
Kiprusoff was outstanding in the first period as he stopped a whopping 24 shots, including a save on a penalty shot from Crosby at the 4:14 mark. Johnson had to make just six stops in the first to keep the game scoreless.
Asham gave the Pens a 1-0 lead at the 6:26 mark of the second when he blasted the puck past Kiprusoff from the right circle after the goaltender had made a pair of saves.
The Pens then made it a 2-0 game at 12:20. On a 2-on-2 rush, Chris Kunitz fired the puck on net that Kiprusoff got, but Kunitz grabbed the rebound. From in front, he threw the puck over to the right side where Crosby slammed it home.
Crosby added his second goal of the game at the 9:12 mark of the third on a tip-in off a Paul Martin power-play blast while Bourque scored less than four minutes later to make it a 3-1 contest.
Calgary took Kiprusoff out of the net for the extra attacker and a penalty to Letang made it a 6-on-4, but Crosby capped the hat trick and sealed the win on an empty-netter with 37 seconds to play.
The Penguins, who have won four straight on the road, play in New York against the Rangers on Monday…Calgary, which went 1-3-1 during its five-game road trip and is now 4-7-2 as the visitors, returns home to face Minnesota on Monday…The Pens have taken four straight against Calgary.