Crosby leads Penguins over Rangers in shootout
WILD-CARD GLANCE
NEW YORK >> Sidney Crosby came through to help the Pittsburgh Penguins pull out another close win.
The Penguins’ captain scored a goal and an assist in regulation and then got the clinching tally in the shootout to help Pittsburgh snap a four-game skid with a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Friday night.
Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust also scored for Pittsburgh, and Matt Murray stopped 30 shots for his 29th victory of the season. With the win, the Penguins eclipsed their point total last season, when they won the Stanly Cup.
“We’re happy to get two points,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “The Rangers are a good team and they scored late in the game. I thought our guys stuck with it, and they didn’t get deflated. We kept playing hard and we found a way to win. Obviously, we would have like to finish it in regulation if we could’ve, but it didn’t happen that way. You have to give the Rangers credit, they played hard, they’re a good team, but we’re pleased to get the two points.”
Chris Kreider tied the score with 11.6 seconds left in the third period to force overtime. Nick Holden had a goal and an assist, Rick Nash also scored and J.T. Miller added two assists for the Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 32 saves as New York fell to 0-5-3 at home since beating Washington on Feb. 19.
Phil Kessel also scored in the tiebreaker for the Penguins, and Murray stopped Mika Zibanejad and Mats Zuccarello.
“There is no point in worrying about it,” Murray said calmly about the late equalizer. “You just move forward, once it’s in the net. You can’t take move on.”
The Penguins improved to 5-1-2 in their past eight road games and secured a winning record away from home for the 11th consecutive season. ISLANDERS 2, DEVILS 1 >> Anders Lee and Anthony Beauvillier scored to help New York preserve its slim playoff chances with a victory over New Jersey.
Jaroslav Halak stopped 26 shots as the Islanders pulled four points behind Boston for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. New York won at home for the first time since beating the Devils here on Feb. 19, going 0-4-1 at Barclays Center in between. BLACKHAWKS 3, BLUE JACKETS 1 >> Artemi Panarin had two goals, Corey Crawford made 32 saves and Chicago beat Columbus to reach the cusp of clinching the Central Division.
Panarin scored in the opening minute, then added an emptynetter with 44 seconds left for his 28th goal of the season. Marian Hossa also scored in the first period for Chicago, and Patrick Kane assisted on all three goals as Chicago extended its division it out, so you just lead to nine points over idle Minnesota.
Devils’ Elias retires
NEWARK, N.J. >> Patrik Elias, the New Jersey Devils’ all-time leading scorer, is retiring after a career that spanned almost two decades and included two Stanley Cup titles.
The 40-year-old native of the Czech Republic announced his retirement in a statement Friday. A free agent after last season, he had knee surgery in May and did not sign a contract this season.
Elias played all of his 18 NHL seasons with the Devils, becoming the team’s franchise leader in goals (408), assists (617) and points (1,025). He ranks third in games played with 1,240, behind Ken Daneyko (1,283) and Martin Brodeur (1,259). He also is the Devils’ single-season leader in points, scoring 96 in 200001, when he was named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team at left wing.
“After 18 seasons, I am pleased to announce that I will be retiring from the National Hockey League, having played my last game with the New Jersey Devils,” Elias said. “For the past few months, I have weighed this decision both physically and mentally. I am happy to say this provides me and my family with closure.”
A four-time All-Star, Elias is the club’s all-time playoff leader with 45 goals, 80 assists and 125 points, 21 power-play goals and six game-winning goals.