It wasn’t until after the final horn sounded Saturday night at First Niagara Center when Penguins coach Mike Johnston realized his star playmaker had done something pretty remarkable.

Sidney Crosby assisted on the Penguins’ first five goals against the Buffalo Sabres, a notable performance, even for Crosby, who is off to another scorching start.

“Yeah and I didn’t realize until the end of the game he had five assists on the first five goals,” Johnston said. “Anytime you have a night like that, that’s quite a night.”

With time still left to play in the second period, Crosby already had amassed five assists, matching his career high set in March 2013 against the New York Islanders.

“A lot of things need to go right,” said Crosby, who practically shrugged it off after the game. “Some of those plays you can make on a nightly basis and sometimes they don’t go in. Luckily (Saturday) guys made some great plays, finished some plays off, maybe when there wasn’t much there either.”

Or as Kris Letang put it: “When you look at those goals, Sid has been playing unbelievable lately, carrying the team like he used to. We’re playing well.”

Assist 1: Crosby, set up behind the goal line, took a pass from Letang in the right circle, and immediately sent it back to the tape of Letang’s stick for a one-timer that was the game’s first goal at 1:21 of the first period.

Assist 2: He saw a seam and fed Letang at the blue line from the right circle. Letang’s shot was tipped in by Patric Hornqvist for a power-play goal at 3:31.

Assist 3: Crosby stickhandled past three defenders cutting through the left circle toward the slot where he dished to an open Paul Martin, who then fed Letang at 15:04.

Assist 4: Crosby beat the Sabres down low on the power play, fed the puck to Chris Kunitz, who found Hornqvist in front of the goal at 4:56 of the second.

Assist 5: Crosby set up defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, who had just joined the rush, seeing he had an open lane to the net. With a quick touch as he drove to the net, Bortuzzo lifted the puck over the glove of Jhonas Enroth at 14:01 of the second.

The score was 5-0, with 5:59 left until the second intermission.

“I think you need some bounces to go right sometimes when the puck goes in that often,” Crosby said. “I think you just try to create things, and hopefully it goes in. When it goes in bunches like that it’s always so nice. There’s times you feel pretty good and it doesn’t always go in. Hopefully it all evens out.”

Crosby has sole possession as the NHL points and assists leader with 24 points on 7 goals, 17 assists in 13 games.