BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� The accomplishment was special. The result disappointing.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sat slumped at his locker stall Thursday night focused more on his team鈥檚 latest lopsided loss than the personal milestone of breaking an NHL record he shared with Wayne Gretzky for point-per-game consistency.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough when you play to win. And obviously it鈥檚 a special milestone,鈥� Crosby said following a , inching the Penguins closer to missing the playoffs for a third straight season.
鈥淏ut you know in a game like that, it鈥檚 not really the same. So, yeah, just a tough night. Yeah, tough night,鈥� he added.
With his parents in the Buffalo stands, Crosby provided the Penguins鈥� lone highlight to cut the Sabres' lead to 2-1. Set up in front by Rickard Rackell, Crosby used his right skate to kick the puck onto his stick and in one motion snapped a shot inside the right post.
It was his 26th goal and 80th point of the season in his 72nd game, after missing two with injury. With eight games left in Pittsburgh鈥檚 season, Crosby is assured of finishing his 20th NHL season averaging at least a point per outing.
The Penguins captain surpassed the mark first set by Gretzky, who finished all but his 20th and final NHL season in 1998-99 averaging a point a game.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a tremendous, special player and person,鈥� teammate Bryan Rust said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people who can be good for one, two, five years. But to do it for that long, I think is incredibly special.鈥�
What stands out beyond the consistency to coach Mike Sullivan is Crosby鈥檚 competitive drive.
鈥淚鈥檝e said it on so many occasions, just his passion for the game and his willingness to put the work in to continue to be at his best. It鈥檚 just remarkable,鈥� Sullivan said.
This, after all, is a player who has upped his game since the 4 Nations tournament by combining for nine goals and 22 points in his past 17 outings in a bid to carry the Penguins back into playoff contention.
鈥淚 think when you鈥檙e in circumstances like this, you find out a lot about people,鈥� Sullivan said. 鈥淎nd I think it exemplifies his leadership.鈥�
Since being selected by Pittsburgh with the No. 1 pick in 2005 draft, Crosby has led the franchise to win three Stanley Cup championships. He鈥檚 a two-time NHL regular season MVP and twice won the league鈥檚 regular-season points race.
鈥淚 think you have to continue to get better and learn, even after thjs long, you've got to continue to evolve and adjust,鈥� Crosby said of the keys to his consistency. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e been pretty lucky to play with some great players over that 20 years. And I think that鈥檚 a big part of it, too.鈥�
Crosby鈥檚 feat comes as from breaking Gretzky鈥檚 NHL career record of 894 career goals.
It shouldn鈥檛 have been a surprise that Crosby scored against Buffalo. He has made a career of producing against the non-division rivals in leading all active players with 86 points (30 goals, 56 assists) in 61 career games against the Sabres.
Loss aside, the consolation for to share yet another memorable moment in a career that included him scoring the gold-medal clinching goal in a 3-2 overtime win over the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been to a lot of games over the years and they鈥檝e sacrificed so much and been so, so supportive,鈥� Crosby said. 鈥淭o have them here for a moment like this is really special. And it鈥檚 the least I could do.鈥�
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AP NHL:
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
