The milestone goal came in Dionne’s old building, and Crosby said that part of it fit.

“I mean, it was probably a little bit cooler because it was here,” the Penguins captain told NHL.com of passing a player who spent 12 of his 18 NHL seasons with the Kings.

His 1,772nd career point came in the second period, an Evgeni Malkin one-timer from the right circle that deflected off him on the way past Darcy Kuemper. Erik Karlsson picked up the primary assist, and the goal at 17:13 gave Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead. Crosby added his 1,773rd point on a penalty shot at 18:44.

He now stands at 660 goals and 1,113 assists in 1,436 career games. Dionne, who finished on 1,771 points (731 goals, 1,040 assists) across 1,348 games, had held sole possession of sixth since his retirement in 1989.

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Francis within sight, Gretzky an ocean away

Fifth place belongs to Ron Francis at 1,798 points, leaving Crosby 25 shy at age 39. Daily Faceoff puts the gap at 26 points to surpass Francis outright, a number Crosby could realistically close before the end of this season if he stays healthy, Heavy’s reporting notes.

Above Francis, the margins open up. Gordie Howe sits at 1,850, Mark Messier at 1,887 and Jaromir Jagr at 1,921. Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 looms over the list in a way that has drawn only one serious challenger in Connor McDavid, with no realistic late-career path to it from where Crosby stands.

A result to match the record

The win ended a seven-game Penguins road skid, their first road victory since a 7-0 season opener at the Philadelphia Flyers on September 30. Pittsburgh, 5-9-2 entering the game, needed it before flying on to Anaheim for the second half of a back-to-back.

“Haven’t gone in easy, so yeah, just nice to get that one. Nice to get a win and have a good feeling here going into tomorrow,” Crosby told NHL.com after the game.

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Tommy Novak also scored twice and Egor Chinakhov added a first-period power-play goal that made it 3-1. Malkin picked up three assists on the night, Kris Letang two. Pittsburgh’s next game is at the Anaheim Ducks.

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