Crosby runs goal streak to 4, Penguins shut out Predators

PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby scored to extend his goal streak to four games and had an assist, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Nashville Predators 3-0 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

The 37-year-old center has the longest active streak in the NHL and five goals in his past six games. He played for the first time since being named captain of Canada on Thursday for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a best-on-best tournament being held Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

“We’ve got to play complete games,” said Crosby, the Pittsburgh captain. “I just thought we did a really good job of not sitting back here up 2-0. It's easy to sit back a little bit. ... I think we played on our toes. We got every line involved. And it's nice, you get that rhythm, you get that momentum, and every line’s contributing. It was a good hockey game.”

Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves for his ninth shutout in the NHL and first since Nov. 19, 2023. Philip Tomasino and Bryan Rust scored, and Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell each had two assists for the Penguins (22-24-8), who have won two straight for the first time since Dec. 17-19.

Juuse Saros, who will represent Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off, made 33 saves for the Predators (18-26-7), who have been outscored 15-6 during a four-game losing streak. They lost 4-3 at the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

“A little disappointed,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “Obviously, tough getting going a little bit. I thought we ran out of energy. We didn’t help ourselves in certain areas, how we managed the puck at different stretches of the game. Obviously, they’ve got a couple guys that are really dangerous. I just didn’t think we put ourselves in a position to get to our game.”

Tomasino put Pittsburgh ahead 1-0 at 10:00 of the first period, two seconds after a Penguins power play expired. He scored with a one-timer from the left face-off circle set up by Karlsson for his sixth goal this season and third in 20 games. He was acquired in a trade with Nashville on Nov. 25.

“Every game now is important, not that they weren’t before, but we dug ourselves a hole again,” Nedeljkovic said. “We know what it’s going to take to get out of it. We’ve got to bring our A-game every single night and if we don’t have it, we’ve got to find a way to win with our B-game. And we can’t have much worse than that, quite frankly.”

Karlsson will play for Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He leads Penguins defensemen with 35 points (five goals, 30 assists) in 54 games.

Crosby made it 2-0 at 10:43 of the second period with his 17th goal. He scored with a one-timer while on one knee from just below the right circle off a pass from Rakell.

“We’re trying to play a simpler, straight-ahead game,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “I just think we’re at our best when we play that way. ... I feel like our team is at its best when we’re controlling territory.”

Rust scored an empty-net goal at 17:59 for the 3-0 final.

“It’s just the little details of the game,” Nashville forward Steven Stamkos said. “You look at where we are in the standings (seventh in the Central Division), you can’t afford to have mishaps in games or as many as we’ve had the last couple nights. It costs you.”

The Predators had the shot advantage in their previous nine games, including a five-game winning streak from Jan. 14-23. They were outshot 27-16 in the final two periods Saturday.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Nashville captain Roman Josi said. “Last month too, we had some really good stretches. It feels like you get something going. Now, obviously, it feels like we’re going through a rough stretch again. By this time, you want your game in order.”

NOTES: Saros returned after missing the game Friday with an undisclosed illness. ... Forward Danton Heinen and defenseman Vincent Desharnais each played his first game for the Penguins since being acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. Heinen, who played 141 games with the Pittsburgh from 2021-23, had three shots on goal in 12:42 of ice time; Desharnais had four blocked shots and two hits in 16:17. ... Crosby is the fourth Penguins player with a goal streak of at least four games at age 37 or older, joining Dean Prentice (two four-game streaks in 1969-70), Mario Lemieux (four games in 2002-03) and Evgeni Malkin (four games in 2023-24). He also tied Marcel Dionne and Nicklas Lidstrom for the fifth-most 40-assist seasons in NHL history (16). ... Rust reached 20 goals for the sixth straight season.