Penguins vs. Predators: Ville Koivunen Wins It in OT After Sidney Crosby's Record-Tying Assist

Sidney Crosby did not record a shot on goal on Saturday night. He did not need one. With Arturs Silovs pulled and 1:06 left in regulation, Crosby whipped a cross-ice pass to Rickard Rakell for a one-timer that tied the game, and that helper was No. 1,111 of his career, pulling him even with Ray Bourque for the most assists with a single NHL franchise.

Then Ville Koivunen finished the job. The Pittsburgh forward ripped a snap shot past Juuse Saros at 3:44 of overtime, and the Penguins beat the Nashville Predators 3-2 at PPG Paints Arena for their second straight win.

Nashville Built a Lead the Ugly Way

The Predators opened the scoring at 9:24 of the first in the kind of fashion you cannot draw up. Steven Stamkos was wrestling with Kris Letang just above the crease when a Matthew Wood pass caromed off his skate and past Silovs. Ryan O'Reilly had the second assist, and Stamkos had his fifth goal of the season.

Pittsburgh needed just 18 seconds of the second period to tie it. Elmer Soderblom sent a pass from behind the net that ticked off O'Reilly's stick and landed right on Connor Dewar's tape in the right circle, and Dewar fired a wrist shot home for his second goal.

Nashville went back in front at 6:40. Nils Hoglander picked off a Spencer Stastney pass along the end boards and fed Jayden Struble, who beat Silovs from the right circle. NHL.com noted it was Struble's first goal since Nashville acquired him from Montreal in an Oct. 9 trade.

The Predators nearly made it 3-1 at the end of the second. Jack Drury dove at a loose puck and pushed it toward the line, but it crossed just after the clock hit zero. Nashville coach Andrew Brunette knew what that cost his team. "We had our looks to kind of break away and make it a 3-1 game," he said. "Just didn't capitalize on them."

Saros Almost Stole It

For most of the third period, this looked like a Saros special. The Nashville goalie made 34 saves on 37 shots while the Penguins piled up a 37-26 edge in shots on goal. His teammates were the first to admit he deserved better.

"I thought we, honestly, didn't play that great," Struble said. "I think, obviously, (Saros) kept us in it that whole time. He played unbelievable. It stings that you couldn't get it for him."

Brunette echoed it. "It's unfortunate that we couldn't close the deal for (Saros). I thought he made some unbelievable saves," he said.

Sid Sets Up the Tie

Pittsburgh finally broke through with the extra attacker on. At 18:54, Crosby found Rakell across the ice, and Rakell one-timed it past Saros for a 2-2 tie, with Erik Karlsson also assisting. It was Rakell's second goal in three games, and NHL.com noted he had gone the first nine games of the season without one.

"It felt so good," Rakell said. "Felt like that gave us a lot of momentum going into overtime."

As for Crosby, the assist put his name next to Bourque's, who piled up 1,111 helpers with Boston, in the record book. Funny enough, NHL.com noted Crosby was held without a shot for the second straight game. Some legends just prefer to make everybody else look good.

Koivunen Gets the Last Word

The overtime winner came out of a little chaos. Koivunen briefly lost control of the puck, recovered it and skated into the high slot before snapping it past Saros, with Hendrix Lapierre and Letang assisting. It was his second goal of the season.

"Of course, it feels good," Koivunen said. "A few good chances, you're probably going to score at some point."

Letang's assist was also a milestone of sorts. According to NHL.com, it was the 147th time he has factored on a game-winning goal, third among active defensemen behind Brent Burns (160) and Karlsson (154).

The Stars

Crosby logged 19:38 and finished with the one assist that mattered most. Karlsson logged 26:12 with an assist, and Silovs stopped 24 of 26 shots for a .923 save percentage.

On the Nashville side, Stamkos keeps producing. NHL.com said he has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 10 games, making him the first Predators player with at least 11 points in the first 10 games of a season since Roman Josi in 2021-22. The AP added that he is two goals from passing Dino Ciccarelli for 19th place in NHL history. O'Reilly won 12 of his 16 faceoffs.

Turning Point: The Goal That Came a Split Second Late

Drury's puck crossing the line just after the second-period buzzer was the hinge of the night. A 3-1 lead with 20 minutes to play is a different conversation. Instead, Nashville carried a one-goal edge into the third, and one cross-ice pass from Crosby was enough to erase it.

Stats That Matter

• 1,111: Crosby's assists, tying Bourque for the most with one franchise.
• 37-26: Pittsburgh's edge in shots on goal.
• 24-13: Nashville's giveaways against Pittsburgh's. That is a lot of free pucks for a team trying to protect a lead.
• 26-11: Nashville's edge in hits, part of a heavy, grinding effort that came up 1:06 short of a regulation win.
• 8-0-2: Pittsburgh's record against Nashville since April 10, 2022, per NHL.com.

What It Means

Pittsburgh improves to 5-6-1 with 11 points and 4-1-0 at home, and has now won two in a row after a four-game losing streak. The Penguins host Utah on Thursday. "We needed to play a better brand of hockey. We still have things to clean up, but I think these last two games have been a step in the right direction," coach Dan Muse said.

Nashville falls to 3-3-4 with 10 points and 1-1-3 on the road. The Predators have dropped two straight and five of six (1-2-3), including a 6-0 loss at Boston on Thursday, and they have no time to sulk with Colorado coming to Nashville on Sunday.

Coin Toss

Brunette offered a very honest read on the extra session. "Then, overtime, at times it turns into a coin toss. We lost it tonight," he said.

Maybe. But coin tosses tend to land a certain way when one team keeps firing pucks and the other keeps giving them away. Pittsburgh outshot Nashville, outlasted Saros and had Crosby quietly writing another line into the history books. Heads, the Penguins win. Tails, Sid gets another assist.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press and NHL.com; postgame quotes as reported by NHL.com.