Penguins Win 15th In Row After Crosby Leaves With Injury

The Pittsburgh Penguins ran their winning streak to 15 games with a 2-0 shutout of the New York Islanders on Saturday but lost captain Sidney Crosby early in the first period when he was hit in the face by the puck.

The victory moved Pittsburgh within two games of matching the NHL record of 17 consecutive wins set by the 1992-1993 Mario Lemieux led Penguins.

They finished March with a 15-0 record and became the first NHL team to go undefeated in a month in which it played at least 10 games.

The Penguins said after the game that Crosby required dental surgery but did not say if he would miss any games.

"Sidney Crosby took a puck to the teeth, and lost a few of those," said head coach Dan Bylsma in a statement on the team's website. "He lost a few of those. He had to have oral surgery.

"We'll continue to evaluate and monitor that. That's the report on ‘Sid' going to the hospital and losing teeth."

Crosby, who has a history of concussions which caused him to miss large parts of the previous two seasons, was injured when team mate Brooks Orpik's slap shot from the point was deflected and struck him.

The NHL's leading scorer was left lying on the ice in a small pool of blood before skating off with the help of Penguins training staff and a towel covering his mouth.

Despite key injuries the Penguins continue to rack up the wins.

Defenseman Paul Martin underwent surgery on Friday to repair a broken wrist sustained when he was struck by a shot during Thursday night's victory over the Winnipeg Jets.

The game also marked the Penguins' debut of former Calgary Flame captain and Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jarome Iginla who was acquired in trade on Thursday.

(Reuters)