Crosby scores Halloween with a 2-1 overtime win over the Ducks and Penguins

On Halloween night, the Pittsburgh Penguins descended on PPG Paints Arena hoping to spook the Anaheim Ducks and end their six-game losing streak with a huge win.

And in the end they got the reward and not the trick.

The Penguins defeated the Ducks 2-1 in overtime thanks to two goals from their captain Sidney Crosby. The Penguins were the dominant team for most of the night, recording 46 shots on goal and overwhelming the Ducks with their forecheck.

Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic secured the win by stopping 22 of 23 Anaheim shots and came up big late in the contest.

“Ned made some big saves toward the end when we made a few mistakes,” Crosby said. “So we had some big plays and we were a lot better defensively.”

Here are some thoughts and observations about Thursday's game:

– I'll come to Crosby in a moment. But Erik Karlsson was simply phenomenal tonight and the best player on the team.

Karlsson had six shots on goal but attempted 21 – yes, you read that right, 21 shot attempts – which is just absurd. He was everywhere on the ice in all three zones and the Penguins dominated in all situations with him on the ice.

His Corsi was a team-best 78.6 percent, and the Penguins averaged a whopping 3.32 expected goals while Karlsson was on the ice.

He and Pettersson each had a late draw that prompted Nedeljkovic to thank him, but overall this pairing was spectacular. Their number of shot attempts on the ice was 46:14 and their expected goals percentage was 77.2 percent.

Simply an outstanding game from both of them, but especially from Karlsson. He was on another planet tonight and the Pens need to see that version of him with more consistency.

– Kris Letang had quite a breakthrough in the first half.

The Ducks actually got their first good showing of the game. There was a scramble for Nedeljkovic and the puck ended up behind him after a shot by Brian Dumoulin. Letang cleared the ball out of the danger zone with his stick, but it went straight to Leo Carlsson, who fended off a second attempt.

Then the puck squirted into the slot to Troy Terry for a third attempt. Letang blocked that.

Finally, about a second later, Dumoulin was wide open at the right circle, and Letang lunged feet-first over the ball and fired part of another shot into the wide-open net. The shot went past the post.

That was an outstanding defensive move from him. He's struggled so far this season, but boy, did he have a good shift.

– The Penguins had no shortage of dangerous chances tonight. They were the better team and had a 46-23 shots advantage.

Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal was very, very good for the Ducks.

This is truly the first time this season that you can say a goaltender almost single-handedly beat the Penguins. Dostal is only 24 years old. He appears to be a legitimate starting goaltender in this league.

He received the game's third star. A spectacular performance from him.

– Speaking of which, Nedeljkovic made an excellent save about four minutes before the end. He also made a breakaway stop within two minutes and made a huge save on Cutter Gauthier after a Penguins turnover.

This game could have easily ended in heartbreak for the Penguins if Nedeljkovic hadn't come up big at the end. He made the saves when he needed to tonight.

– Michael Bunting had a strong performance tonight. He didn't end up on the top scorer list, but he certainly could have made it. He came into the dirty areas looking like the player the Penguins signed last season.

Head coach Mike Sullivan gave him glowing praise, comparing him to a beloved former Penguin tonight.

“Once I got to know him as a person, he reminds me a lot of Patric Hornqvist,” Sullivan said. “'Horny' would always do the same thing, he'd come back to the bench and talk to himself and he'd get mad at himself. That's just an indication to us that he's committed and emotionally invested. And, when players are that invested, they usually find their best game.”

If Bunting keeps playing like he did tonight, he will score the goal.

– The Penguins had a really strong performance in the extra frame for the third straight overtime game this season. They dominated possession, controlled the tempo, forced turnovers and worked hard on defense in longer shifts.

Sullivan said he and assistant coach David Quinn spent a lot of time looking at film and finding a way to get the best out of the Penguins in overtime, which was a weakness last season. He said there needs to be more commitment on defense when they don't have the puck, which opens up the opportunity for big players to create something offensively.

This was evident in Crosby's overtime goal. Cody Glass — who deserves tremendous credit for making the play possible — was on an extended shift and won a puck battle on the boards near the Penguins' bench, forcing a turnover. This allowed Crosby to swing the puck to himself and take advantage of the opportunity that led to the game-winning goal.

It's still early, but it seems like the Penguins figured something out in overtime. And that could be huge for them at the end of the season if they can get those extra points.

– Now to the captain.

This was the best look I've seen Crosby all season. He was a puck dog all night. He was in his office below the goal line, working on the forecheck. He scored a beautiful deflected goal to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead, and he was tireless in his pursuit, possession and defense of the puck.

And his overtime goal was just old, bad stuff from him. He came to a complete stop in front of Dostal, fended him off and threw the puck over his shoulder for the winning goal:

This is the version of Crosby that everyone knows. I expect to see a lot more of him in the coming period, especially given the very high level his team is currently playing at.