COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sidney Crosby notched his 15th career hat trick and added an assist to lead Pittsburgh over the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2 Friday night for the Penguins’ fourth straight win.
Brian Dumoulin had a goal and two assists, Mike Matheson added a goal and an assist, and Bryan Rust had two assists for Pittsburgh, which has won 15 of its last 17 games.
“We’ve shown an ability to play the game a certain way that that gives us the best chance to win and it starts with an attitude,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “Then it’s a commitment to play in the game the right way and attention to detail, knowing what your job is and trusting that your linemate or your teammate is going to do theirs.
“When we play that way, and we have that collective effort and we have that trust among one another that you know each guy is going to do their job, I think we’re stingy as any team in the league.”
Gus Nyquist and Boone Jenner scored for the Blue Jackets, who have lost four of their last five home games.
Casey DeSmith stopped 10 shots in the first period before being pulled and replaced in the second by Tristan Jarry, who stopped all 15 shots he faced.
“It’s nice to get some rhythm and timing,” Crosby said. “We’ve got a lot of games coming up and hopefully we can work through and get better.”
The hat trick was Crosby’s first since Nov. 28, 2018.