PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang made some history and the Pittsburgh Penguins made short work of the Vancouver Canucks.

Crosby scored his fourth goal of the season to become the Penguins’ all-time leader in points when including both regular-season and postseason games, passing Mario Lemieux, and four other Penguins scored in the 5-1 victory.

SIDNEY. CROSBY.

OH CAPTAIN OUR CAPTAIN 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PyPF30SUHb

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 22, 2025

Letang recorded the 600th assist of his career in the victory.

Connor Dewar, Tommy Novak, Anthony Mantha and the red-hot Justin Brazeau also scored.

It was yet another strong night for a Penguins team that entered the season with low expectations yet is now boasting a 5-2 record with its next game coming on Thursday night in Florida against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Penguins fell behind immediately, but Arturs Silovs settled down and looked strong against his former team, stopping 23 of 24 shots.

While Silovs played a strong game, he was not tested regularly. The Penguins were horribly sluggish in the game’s first 10 minutes — the first home game after a long road trip typically does this — but when they found their game, they skated circles around the Canucks and utterly controlled the game.

Crosby was characteristically humble about passing Lemieux.

“It took me probably 500 more games,” he said. “I’ve been here for a long time and have been fortunate to play with some great players. That’s how I look at it.”

In something that has become a theme, the Penguins received contributions seemingly from everyone in this game.

But Silovs, despite giving up a goal on the game’s first shot, kept the Penguins in the game until they found their footing. He credited a good summer with his strong start to the season.

“The work I put in during the summer, during practices, and (to) actually execute and feel confident in my game,” he said. “It’s great to see that it helps me in the game.”

The Penguins received two power-play goals and tallies for their first, second and fourth lines.

Ten postgame observations 

• It’s still early. Very, very early.

But are we starting to believe that the Penguins are better than anticipated? It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?

If nothing less, it’s been quite a good start to the season. Under Dan Muse, they’re playing a far more respectable defensive game. Which is to say, they’re actually committed to team defense and have largely eliminated the mistakes that have allowed an embarrassing amount of odd-man rushes in recent years.

They are noticeably bigger, with players such as Mantha and Brazeau making quite a difference. The youthful energy players such as Ben Kindel, Harrison Brunicke and Filip Hallander have added is clear.

Erik Karlsson is a way better player than he’s been at any point in Pittsburgh.

I wouldn’t take out a loan for those playoff tickets just yet. But one has to be impressed with what the Penguins have done in the season’s first 15 days.

• Crosby was right. He has played 517 more games than Lemieux.

Still, passing Lemieux as the all-time point leader when including regular-season and playoff games is still a remarkable achievement. I think 1,896 total points speak for themselves.

Following the game, Crosby made some comments about Lemieux that were pretty interesting. Lemieux, borderline estranged from the Penguins’ organization the past few seasons, made a surprise appearance at the home opener and visited the Penguins in the locker room following that game.

It was pretty clear that Crosby liked having his former teammate, boss and landlord around the team.

“I love seeing him around,” Crosby said. “I know how much he enjoys going to games and being a part of it. Any chance that we get to have him around is always special. For guys to get a chance to meet him … Hopefully we see him around a little more.”

• Two events changed this game. It was 1-0 Vancouver in the first period when Silovs stoned Evander Kane on a breakaway. That was a huge moment.

Not long after, the Penguins’ fourth line just took over the game on one shift. Noel Acciari doesn’t appear to be a fan favorite on social media, but he’s been outstanding the past three games. Blake Lizotte gives the line some speed and tenacity. And then there is Dewar, who scored his second goal of the season to even the game.

DEWAR KNOTS THIS ONE UP 🚨

A-Rod and the @steelers were loving it 😆 pic.twitter.com/3bfbcDvAk4

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 21, 2025

What I like about Dewar is that he’s a bottom-six player who understands his role. He plays like an adult. The Penguins have needed more practical players in the lineup for years. In Dewar, they have just that.

There’s nothing special about his game, but he’s steady and does his job well every night. There is something to be said for that.

This is a fourth line that is clicking at the moment.

• I’ve been pretty hard on Letang recently and for good reason. He’s endured a brutal start to the season.

This, however, was his best game. Not only did Letang record two assists and hit the 600-career assist mark, but he played a far better defensive game and cut down on the mental lapses that have plagued his game.

Perhaps this is a sign of good things to come. The Penguins badly need him to start playing better and he was quite solid in this game. He made a spectacular bank pass to set up Brazeau’s goal.

6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ ASSISTS FOR KRIS LETANG 🍎

20TH DEFENSEMAN EVER TO GET THERE! pic.twitter.com/qynqClZn8d

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 22, 2025

• Speaking of Brazeau, what is going on here?

That’s the first three-point game of Brazeau’s career. He now has five goals and eight points in seven games.

And nothing about what we are watching looks like a fluke.

He’s a big man with a soft pair of hands. This is either a fringe NHL player on the hottest run of his life, or it’s a good NHL player who is a late bloomer, and in the right place at the right time. We shall see.

The guy looks legitimate to me. He’s the surprise of the early season.

• I didn’t like Mantha’s game in the first week of the season. He looked a little disinterested to me and stayed on the perimeter far too much.

He almost skated through the net when he scored in the second period of this game.

“THE PENGUINS HAVE BLOWN IT OPEN!” – @JG_PxP💥

MANTHA PILES ON 🚨 pic.twitter.com/T7GRVnAgSW

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 22, 2025

That’s more like it.

Given the way Evgeni Malkin is playing — he was outstanding again and now has 10 points in seven games — Mantha will score plenty of goals if he keeps crashing the net like that.

• Neither Kindel nor Brunicke contributed a point in this game.

And you know what?

I thought they were two of the best players on the ice. Kindel’s touch on the puck is something to see. So is Brunicke’s skating, which was on fine display in this game.

Kyle Dubas would be making a mistake if he sent either of them back to junior hockey. They’re a couple of special teenagers.

• It’s been some kind of a struggle for Novak. He scored his first goal of the season, and perhaps that will get him going.

Novak has been a profound disappointment through seven games, but things can always change. No one is questioning his talent.

That was quite a snipe on the game-winning goal.

NOVAK’S FIRST AS A PEN IS A BIG ONE! 🚨

PENS ON 🔝 pic.twitter.com/di0IrMPDjm

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) October 22, 2025

• The Penguins’ goaltending has been quite good.

Tristan Jarry’s shutout on Saturday in San Jose was followed by this excellent performance from Silovs. I bet Jarry gets the start on Thursday in Florida.

We seem to have a 50/50 situation with the goaltending right now, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Both are earning their share of the net.

• I can’t call Thursday night’s game in Florida a “big game.”

It’s October, not April. But it will be a nice opportunity for the Penguins to measure themselves against the injury-depleted champs.

So far, so good. The Penguins are quite a story at the moment.