At the end of the game that the Pittsburgh Penguins won 7-0 against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, Kristopher Letang knew he had had a good game, but nothing more.
The meeting of the Quebec defender can only be described in one word: historic. Not only did he set the record for most assists by a guard in a game (6), but he also scored five points in one game, which has never been achieved before.
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Letang also surpassed Wayne Gretzky's record by collecting six assists in 19:33. In February 1980, the “Merveille” achieved this feat of weaponry in… 30 min. 17 sec.
“[Je n’étais pas au courant] Before the end of the game, the 36-year-old veteran admitted in the press crowd. I believe that [l’entraîneur associé Todd Reirden] He mentioned it to me but wasn't 100% sure. We confirmed it in the locker room. “It was one of those nights where everyone seemed to score after he gave him the puck.”
Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin must have been very happy with Letang's inspiration because thanks to him they each hit the target twice. With his 484th career goal, the Russian also overtook Sergei Fedorov to take second place among goalscorers in his country's history.
“You have a chance to play with good players – they weren't the most complicated games – and if you get the puck to the right player, he can score at the end,” Letang said.
Still on vacation?
Apparently, the Penguins took advantage of the defensive generosity of the Islanders, who appeared to need an extra day off.
In the second period, head coach Lane Lambert called a timeout after two quick goals. As soon as the referees whistled for the game to resume, Güntzel scored again.
“After a break, the first third is never particularly nice, if I can say so myself,” admitted Letang. Then your legs start moving again, your hands come back. We took advantage of that to get a lot of offense into their zone and throw pucks toward their net.”
Young Valtteri Puustinen scored for the first time in the National Hockey League (NHL). The 24-year-old Finn is doing well with six points in eight games and Letang was happy to help him break the ice.
“It's always fun to be the guy who sets up the first goal in the NHL. [Sidney Crosby] “I’ve had them all before,” he added with a laugh. It's cool, it's a great moment for the player. You could see how special it was on his face.”
Furthermore, Crosby didn't score any points in this offensive feast. Letang's companion on the blue line, Marcus Pettersson, finished with four assists.