The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh on Thursday. The Penguins' Sidney Crosby had one goal and two assists, placing him in ninth place on the NHL's scoring list.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby offered his perspective on Connor McDavid’s three-game suspension for cross-checking Conor Garland during Saturday’s Edmonton-Vancouver clash. Speaking to The Athletic on Monday, Crosby acknowledged McDavid’s actions but framed them within the physical nature of hockey.

First Period_1, Pittsburgh, Rakell 21 (Pettersson, Rust), 3:19. 2, Pittsburgh, Rust 16 (Crosby, Pettersson), 7:22. 3, Pittsburgh, Hayes 6 (Puljujarvi, O'Connor), 9:46 ...

Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists to move into ninth on the NHL’s career scoring list as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers 5-3.

Two of the National Hockey League’s top teams will tangle at Rogers Center in Edmonton, Alberta, on Tuesday night. The Washington Capitols, which top all NHL teams with 67 points, will open a five-game road trip against the Oilers (29-14-3, in the Pacific Division), one of six teams with at least 60 points.

Anze Kopitar and the Kings honored firefighters and first responders in the team’s emotional return to Crypto.com Arena. * Mitch Marner passed Borje Salming atop a franchise list as the Maple Leafs strengthened their grip on first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Washington Capitals open a five-game road trip when they visit the Connor McDavid-less Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. The Capitals have won four games in a row and earned points in 10 straight (7-0-3),

The Capitals have taken a more aggressive stance with their penalty kill this season and seen huge improvements as a result.

This is not the first time that McDavid has faced disciplinary action. He served a two-game suspension in February 2019 for a hit to the head on then-New York Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy. Additionally, he was fined $5,000 in March 2021.

The win Saturday was another example of how far the Capitals have come. Although Alex Ovechkin was held without a goal -- leaving him with 874 and 21 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894 -- Washington demonstrated its improved depth and controlled play almost from start to finish.

The biggest possible signing among Oilers prospects is Russian power winger Maxim Berezkin. I ranked him No. 3 on the winter edition of Edmonton’s top-20 prospect list based on size, skill and performance. He has scored 11-21-32 in 46 KHL games this season, and his free-agent window opens this spring.

Make no mistake, what transpired at the end of Saturday night’s game was ugly. Cross-checks to the head and neck, no matter the reason for it, are more than deserving of supplemental discipline.