The Penguins took a major step toward locking up home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs while also inching closer to Philadelphia for the Atlantic Division lead following a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils in the final regular-season game in the brand-new CONSOL Energy Center.
Both the Lightning and Flyers lost tonight, and with Pittsburgh’s win the Penguins now have a 47-25-8 record for 102 points – three more than Tampa Bay and one behind Philadelphia. All three teams have two games remaining on their respective schedules.
The Pens and Devils locked up in their typical affair – tight-checking, limited ice, low number of scoring chances. But it was the Penguins that made enough plays and converted their chances to pull out the victory.
Pascal Dupuis scored two goals (one shorthanded), Jordan Staal recorded a power-play goal and an assist and Chris Kunitz scored a goal just hours after his wife Maureen gave birth to a daughter – Payton Marie Kunitz.
The Penguins finish up the regular season on the road. A two-game swing will take them to Long Island (Friday) and Atlanta (Sunday) as the team tries to win the division crown.
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