[catdaddy]

The Pens have had a rough go of it this season, but last night's game against the Islanders was the best Christmas present to all of us fans of the team that we could hope for. First, there was the 7-0 win at the Isle's arena, but that doesn't begin to explain the joy in Penguin land. The big present was the historical significance of Kris Letang's night on the ice:

His 6 assists in a game tied him with only 6 other defensemen in NHL history to accomplish that feat.

His 5 assists in a single period are an NHL record for forwards and defensemen.

His 6 assists came in a span of 19:33 breaking the previous record held by Wayne Gretzky by more than 10 minutes.

What a thing of beauty it was to behold such a performance!!!

And, while Kris Letang had himself a night to remember, so did his teammate Evgeni Malkin. By scoring 2 goals (#483 & #484 for his career), Malkin passed Sergei Federov to move into second place all-time in goals scored for a Russian born NHL player, behind only Alex Ovechkin.

Yes, these guys are both past the mid-point of their 30s, but they're clearly not finished. It was a great night to be a Pens fan!!!!!!!