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TAMPA, Fla. -- Sidney Crosby hit a milestone and helped his team get a win. Chris Kunitz scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 21 shots, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Crosby had assists on all three goals for Pittsburgh, which extended its winning streak in the series to eight games. The Penguins also halted the Lightnings bid to tie a club record with an eighth consecutive triumph on home ice. Kunitz opened the scoring seven minutes in, taking a pass from Crosby and lifting it past Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop from the left circle. Kunitz sealed the win, scoring into an empty net with 1:43 remaining in the game. Crosbys accomplishment caught the attention of his coach. "It is amazing how often and how fast he has been on that score sheet," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said of Crosby, whose second assist was the 700th point of his career. Crosby, the NHL leader this season with 36 points, appreciates the milestone. "You obviously play to win, but when you get things like that, little individual things, I guess you enjoy it for a little bit," he said. "Its fun to see that, but ultimately you play to win games. Its nice we were able to get a win in the same night." Brandon Sutter scored the second Pittsburgh goal on a power play midway into the third period. Sutter took his own rebound behind the net and banked it off the leg of Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman on the opposite side. "Its part of the game. It was a really lucky bounce for them and unfortunate for us," Hedman said. "Down one goal and they get a lucky one on the power play, so obviously it sucks a little momentum out of you. ... It could have gone either way. They got the bounces today." Tampa Bay had several excellent scoring chances. Richard Panik got loose in front of the Pittsburgh net just before the second intermission, but was stopped by Fleury, who earlier made a save on Nikita Kucherov on a partial breakaway. "Part of the problem tonight was we let Fleury see shots, not all of them, but too many," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "And we were really having a tough time getting pucks to the net." The Lightning also came up empty in three man-advantage situations. Bishop, who finished with 26 saves, has lost twice in his past three games. The early goal set the tone for Pittsburgh, which has won all but one of the 15 games in which it scored first. The Penguins are 9-0 when leading after the first period, and Tampa Bay is 0-6 when behind after one. NOTES: Crosby, Kunitz and C Evgeni Malkin each have seven-game point streaks against the Lightning, with a combined 23 goals and 22 assists. ... Pittsburgh broke a tie with Tampa Bay for second place in the Eastern Conference. ... Penguins LW James Neal was held without a point for the first time in six games, having collected 11 on six goals and five assists in his past five outings. Authentic Calvin Johnson Jersey . 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No makeup date was immediately announced, although it was determined that the game will not be part of a doubleheader on Wednesday.HOUSTON -- Texans Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Cushing is out for the season with a left knee injury that will require surgery. Cushing was injured in the third quarter of Sundays loss at Kansas City during a low block by running back Jamaal Charles. Its the second straight year Cushing has been lost for the season with a left knee injury. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee in Week 5 last season. Its a devastating blow for a team that has lost five games in a row heading into its bye on Sunday. "I think he was playing at a defensive player of the year-type of level," coach Gary Kubiak said. "Then here he goes again, hes got to go through this. So I know its very difficult for him ... (and) I know Cush will do everything he can to get back. But you hate to see anybody go through that especially twice now." The Texans signed Cushing to a six-year contract worth $55.6 million before this season. Kubiak said injuries to left tackle Duane Brown (ankle), running back Arian Foster (hamstring) and Ben Tate (ribs) arent serious. Tate was injured in the third quarter on Sunday but returned and finished the game. He told The Associated Press on Monday that he has four broken ribs. He was in a lot of pain, even wincing when he took off his sweatshirt, but said that he expects to be ready to play when Houston hosts Indianapolis on Nov. 3. "Ill be OK," he said. Kubiak also said rookies Cierre Wood, Sam Montgomery and Willie Jefferson were released for violating team rules. He wouldnt specify what the players did, but did say it wasnt just one thing. "I make decisions based on a body of work in everything I do," he said. "Ive got five months of work invested with those three young men and I made a decision today to move forward. Weve got some thingss we need to address as a football team.dddddddddddd" Wood is a running back who was third on the depth chart after making the team as an undrafted free agent. With Foster and Tate both banged up, the Texans will need to add depth at that position with one of the open roster spots. Montgomery, a third-round pick, and Jefferson, who was undrafted, are both linebackers. "Weve got some rebuilding to do inside with some issues and weve got some special teams issues," Kubiak said. "So the moves that we make have got to be special teams-oriented to help (special teams coach) Joe (Marciano)." Players wouldnt discuss why the three were dismissed from the team, but said they agreed with Kubiaks decision. "Its a shame," linebacker Brooks Reed said. "But its for the betterment of the team." Another issue for the Texans is the health of quarterback Matt Schaub. Schaub struggled this season before missing last weeks game with ankle and foot injuries. Former third-stringer Case Keenum got the start on Sunday in his first NFL game. He performed well for most of the game before a fumble late in the fourth quarter sealed Houstons loss. Kubiak was cagey when asked if Schaub would start after the bye if hes healthy. "Ive got to sit down and look at our situation and whats going on right now," he said. "Obviously Matts our starting quarterback, Case played this week because Matt wasnt healthy. Case went in and played extremely well. Im going to sit down on our bye week and evaluate where were at as a team and move forward from there." But he did rave about Keenums performance against the undefeated Chiefs. "To go in Kansas City in that environment and that noise and handle the football team the way he handled it I thought was impressive," Kubiak said. ' ' '