Pittsburgh Penguins fans were back on their feet Tuesday night, and not just because of the scoreboard, but also because of what Erik Karlsson did.
As the Penguins steamrolled the Chicago Blackhawks in a 5–0 shutout after losing to the same team over the weekend, defenseman Karlsson hit a mark few at his position have ever reached.
Karlsson scored Pittsburgh’s second goal of the night early in the second period, becoming just the 23rd defenseman in NHL history to reach 200 career goals.
The Penguins acknowledged the feat immediately after the game with a sharp post on X.
“2 0 0 NHL GOALS! Take a bow, EK65!”
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Karlsson, who turned 34 a little over a week ago, called the moment a nice accomplishment but downplayed its magnitude.
“It’s obviously a nice one,” Karlsson said. “I don’t know if it is actually a milestone though, but I’ll take it. Been fortunate to play for a long time and score some goals over the years.
“Hopefully, I’ve got another 100 in me.” Karlsson is only the second active blueliner to reach the mark, joining Carolina’s Brent Burns with 261 goals to his name. Among Swedish defensemen, only Nicklas Lidstrom (264) has more goals in NHL history than Karlsson.
The Penguins’ win marked a bounce back after Pittsburgh dropped Sunday’s meeting in Chicago, losing 3-1 to the Blackhawks.
On Tuesday, Sidney Crosby opened the scoring on the power play and extended his home point streak to 14 games. Karlsson scored the 2-0 goal, Kris Letang followed him in the third frame, and Kevin Hayes scored back-to-back goals to wrap up the final score.
The Penguins now head to New Jersey for a Friday night matchup with the Devils but they are already eliminated from the playoffs with a 32-35-12 record and 76 points in 79 games.
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