Sidney Crosby's two goals helped the Pittsburgh Penguins dig out of a hole and pick up their fourth straight win against the Carolina Hurricanes Thursday.
Related: VIDEO: Crosby's beautiful solo effort pushes point streak to 10 games
His second goal of the game would hold up as the game-winner, and was just the latest out of Crosby's book of tricks, with the Penguins captain dropping to one knee.
For Crosby, his goals helped him extend his current point streak to 10 games - the longest active streak in the league - while also helping his club rebound from a 2-0 first-period deficit.
With the win, the Penguins have a three-point cushion over the Detroit Red Wings for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and sit just one point behind the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
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NEWARK, N.J. - Devante Smith-Pelly, Mike Sislo and Adam Henrique scored two goals apiece and the New Jersey Devils had their best offensive performance of the season with a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
Devante Smith-Pelly records his first career three-point game and establishes a new career high with 21 points.
— NJDevilsPR (@NJDevilsPR) March 18, 2016
Reid Boucher also scored, Tyler Kennedy added a season-high three assists and Keith Kinkaid made 28 saves as New Jersey snapped a three-game home losing streak and rebounded from a 7-1 disaster in Anaheim on Monday.
First three-point game for Tyler Kennedy since Nov. 25, 2011 vs. Ott. (1g-2a).
— NJDevilsPR (@NJDevilsPR) March 18, 2016
Nino Niederreiter, Jared Spurgeon, Justin Fontaine and Mikko Koivu scored for the Wild, who squandered a chance to move ahead of Colorado into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with a too-little, too-late effort in losing their second straight.
This one was never in doubt. Smith-Pelly and Sislo scored in the opening 1:34 and New Jersey hit the net three times on their first eight shots against Devan Dubnyk, sending him to the bench late in the opening period.
Backup Darcy Kuemper didn't fare much better. He gave up a goal on the first shot he faced, an uncontested shot in close by Smith-Pelly early in the second for a 4-1 lead.
New Jersey, which only took 25 shots, dominated the Wild in close with five of the first six goals being tallied either in the crease or on the edge of it. The exception was Sislo's second NHL goal, which came from the top of the right circle for a 6-2 lead in the second period.
That goal capped another outburst with Henrique and Sislo, who missed practice on Wednesday because of an illness, scoring 38 seconds apart.
Smith-Pelly, who has six goals and three assists in seven games since being acquired from Montreal, and Sislo, who had not scored in his first 32 NHL games, tallied 51 seconds apart to stake New Jersey to a 2-0 lead.
Related: Smith-Pelley a scoring machine since joining the Devils
It was the fastest two goals to start a game for New Jersey since Randy McKay and Brian Rolston scored in the opening 1:13 against Philadelphia in 1998.
Niederreiter got his 17th of the season on a power play at 14:15, but Boucher pushed the margin to 3-1 three minutes later when Dubnyk could not control a point shot and Boucher shoved it into the net after Kennedy slid the puck across the crease.
Minnesota never got close again.
NOTES: The Devils' previous high was six goals against Ottawa on Jan. 21. ... Dubnyk was 5-1-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average in his last seven games. ... Ryan Suter broke the Wild single-season record for assists by a defenseman, picking up his 38th on Spurgeon's goal. ... Devils D Andy Greene played in his 300th consecutive game. ... Minnesota has power-play goals on the road in 14 of 15 games. ... New Jersey is now 3-5, wearing its red, white and green retro jerseys. ... The Devils finished their season against the Western Conference with a 16-11-1 record. They were 2-0 against Minnesota. ... It was Kennedy's first three-point game since 2011.
-with files from theScore
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Dallas Stars head coach Lindy Ruff joined elite company when he stepped behind the bench Thursday night.
Taking in his 1,401 game as a coach, he passed former Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks great Patt Quinn, and tied Ron Wilson for fifth-most games coached in NHL history.
During his 18-year career, Ruff has amassed a record of 693-515-192. His 693 wins also put him fifth all-time.
This year he has coached his Stars to a Western Conference-best 91 points.
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A change of scenery is all Devante Smith-Pelly needed.
The newest member of the New Jersey Devils has been scoring at an unbelievable pace since joining the team ahead of the trade deadline, and added another two goals and an assist Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.
Smith-Pelly with a pair, now looking for the hat trick... #MINvsNJDhttps://t.co/vjJkhCd8gO
— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2016
With a couple more tallies, Smith-Pelly now has six goals and nine points in seven games since being dealt to the Devils from the Montreal Canadiens.
Devante Smith-Pelly: 6 goals in 46 games with MTL this season, now has 6 in 7 w/#Devils (double what Stefan Matteau had in 46 GP as a Devil)
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) March 18, 2016
The 23-year-old appears to have rekindled the offensive side of his game. As a member of the Canadiens this season, he managed just six goals and 12 points in 46 games.
Things couldn't be going any better for Smith-Pelley, and while he did shed tears after learning about his trade to the Devils, chances are he is relishing the opportunity he's been given.
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