Burns was one of three Hurricanes on the ice as the Penguins had a two-man advantage at the tail end of a power play to start the third period.
Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho was set to take the face-off, but, as sometimes happens, was booted out of the circle by the referee. Burns took the spot instead of the only other option, Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.
Burns slid in and won it like he does it all the time. It was his first face-off win since the 2015 season. Burns took precisely two face-offs in his previous five seasons, losing both. He did, however, spend some time at forward with the San Jose Sharks. His career high came in 2013 when he took nine face-offs in a single game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Crosby is second on the career list for
face-offs won with 13,048
(face-offs have been tracked since 1997). The Penguins captain has taken 25,034 in his career.
Score one for the underdog.
