The Oilers' 5-3 loss to the Penguins ended a seven-game winning streak against the Penguins dating back to Dec. 20, 2019.

The Penguins got the best of the Oilers through sheer hard work and smart defensive strategy — and a little star power from both teams.

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson’s baritone voice dropped a handful of octaves when the query was posed. How unique of a challenge are the Edmonton Oilers strictly because of the combined presence of superstar forwards Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid?

The Pittsburgh Penguins had lost seven consecutive games to Edmonton before Thursday evening. They had been outscored in those games, 37-9, and might have been outplayed even more than those numbers suggest.

Thanks to his performance against the Oilers, he moved up to ninth in NHL history with 1,643 points (604 goals, 1,309 assists), passing another Canadian icon, Joe Sakic (1,641 points). Next up for Crosby is Mario Lemieux (1,723) in eighth place.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had lost seven consecutive games to Edmonton before Thursday evening. They had been outscored in those games, 37-9, and might have been outplayed even more than those numbers suggest.

Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists vs. Edmonton, as he passed Hall of Famer Joe Sakic to move into ninth on the NHL's career scoring list with 1,643 points.

The first period was all Penguins. They outshot the Oilers 13-7, leading 3-0 after just ten minutes and eventually heading into the intermission with a 4-1 lead. Their first line was particularly dominant, with Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell combining for six points in the first period alone.

The Penguins came into Thursday’s matchup with Edmonton at PPG Paints Arena especially motivated. First and foremost, they wanted to ensure they grabbed two points after picking up just one in three of their last four games (0-1-3),