The Pittsburgh Penguins resisted an impressive comeback from the Tampa Bay Lightning to win 5-4 on Saturday.
Trailing 4-1 in the third period, Tampa Bay evened the odds with three goals in a span of 10:25, but a Michael Bunting goal saved face for the Penguins, who scored a fourth victory in a row. Bunting also participated in two other goals for his team.
Adding to the sense of drama, Pittsburgh finished the game down a man following a delay of game penalty with less than two minutes remaining.
This victory allows the Penguins to join the Philadelphia Flyers for the last place giving access to the playoffs in the East. The two teams each have 83 points. Pittsburgh (36-30-11) is 6-0-2 in its last eight games.
Furthermore, the match was punctuated by a worrying scene as referee Steve Kozari left the game on a stretcher after a collision with Lightgning’s Haydn Fleury in the third. Fleury also left the game.
Evgeni Malkin led the Penguins on offense with two goals and an assist.
Sidney Crosby reached 40 goals for the third time in his career. He also became the seventh player in NHL history to reach this milestone at the age of 36 or older.
Quebecer Kristopher Letang scored the other goal for the Penguins.
Defender Erik Karlsson had three assists. He became the fifth guard in Penguins history to reach 40 assists in his first season with the club.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves in his eighth consecutive start in net for the Penguins.
In the defeat, Nikita Kucherov once again stood out as he collected three assists, giving him 93 since the start of the season for a total of 136 points. This is the 22nd time this season that he has had a three-point game.
Victor Hedman also had three assists.
The Lightning (43-27-7), who are guaranteed to participate in the playoffs, have won ten of their last 12 games.
Bruins keep Panthers at bay
Jesper Boqvist scored at 2:05 in overtime and the Boston Bruins earned their fourth straight win, winning 3-2 over the Florida Panthers.
Leaders in the Atlantic Division, the Bruins have a five-point cushion ahead of the Panthers, in second place.
Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle generated the other goals for the Bruins.
Boston is 5-1-0 since coach Jim Montgomery raised his voice during practice on March 25, dissatisfied with his team’s performance.
Linus Ullmark made 28 saves, being beaten by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov.
Sergei Bobrovsky blocked 26 shots.
Last spring, Florida dismissed the Bruins in the first round, after the latter set NHL records with 65 wins and 135 points.
The Panthers will host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, kicking off four straight games at Sunrise.
Namestnikov excels with three points
Vladislav Namestnikov provided a goal and three points as the Winnipeg Jets posted their third straight victory on Tuesday, winning 4-2 against the Minnesota Wild.
Alex Iafallo, Kyle Connor and Morgan Barron were the other scorers for the Jets, who began a four-game road trip.
Connor Hellebuyck blocked 25 shots, being beaten twice by Kirill Kaprizov.
The Jets have won all four of their games against the Wild this season.
Their record against Central Section clubs is 17-5-1.
When the Jets lead after two periods, their performance is 34-1-1.
Marc-André Fleury stopped 21 shots for the Wild.
The Jets will play their next meeting Tuesday evening in Nashville.
Eklund wears a hat
William Eklund completed a hat trick in overtime, allowing the San Jose Sharks to win 3-2 at the expense of the St. Louis Blues.
Eklund scored with a wrist shot at 3:56, during a two-on-one.
The Blues had overcome a 2-0 deficit thanks to goals from Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn in the third period.
Schenn tied the game at 17:31 with Joel Hofer having retired to the bench in favor of one more attacker. Hofer blocked 22 shots.
Devin Cooley made 34 saves, getting his first National League victory.
Cooley is a native of Los Gatos, south of San Jose. He was making his third career start.
