Boston, MA – Sidney Crosby had two goals and an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins downed the Boston Bruins, 5-3, at TD Garden.
Paul Martin, James Neal and Arron Asham also scored for the Penguins, who moved the three points ahead of Philadelphia for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after the Flyers lost earlier Tuesday.
Brent Johnson made 26 saves in Pittsburgh's second win in three games.
Benoit Pouliot, Milan Lucic and Rich Peverley lit the lamp, while Marty Turco stopped 22-of-27 shots for Boston.
The Bruins had already clinched the second seed in the east with their victory over the New York Rangers on Sunday night.
Boston entered the second period trailing, 2-1, but managed to tie the game just 18 seconds into the frame when Lucic grabbed a drop pass to the left of the net and fired a wrister into the twine.
But Pittsburgh was awarded a nearly two-minute long 5-on-3 power play after Boston's Daniel Paille and Peverley were whistled for penalties within nine seconds of each other late in the second period and took advantage with two quick goals to take control.
The first came off the stick of Neal when the puck slid right to him at the right circle after Chris Kunitz fanned on a one-time attempt in the slot and he fired a quick shot past Turco with 1:01 left in the middle stanza.
Then, 48 seconds later, Kris Letang, who had three assists in the game, slid a cross-ice pass to Crosby at the left of the net and he tipped it home for a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
Asham's redirection of a Craig Adams shot from the left circle put the Penguins ahead by three goals 6:15 into the third period before Peverley brought the Bruins back within two by finishing a 2-on-1 rush with a backhander with 11:56 left in the game.
However, Boston would get no closer as Johnson made eight saves in the third period to hang on for the victory.
Pittsburgh struck first at the 7:41 mark of the first period after Letang took a shot from the top of the left circle that was stopped, but Pascal Dupuis followed the rebound behind the net and batted it in front, where Crosby finished with a hard wrister into the top-right corner.
The Penguins later took a 2-0 lead with 5:02 remaining in the opening frame when a big rebound from Tyler Kennedy's shot from the top of the right circle first bounced into the air off the stick of Martin and then off his glove as he was getting checked from behind by Boston's Johnny Boychuk.
The puck then deflected high off the left post before trickling over the goal line before Turco could get his glove on it. The goal was upheld after a review to see if Martin had punched it in intentionally.
Boston, though, made it a 2-1 game entering the first intermission when Pouliot snuck a backhander under the crossbar from a tight angle to the right of the net with 3:03 left in the first.
Game Notes
Pouliot's goal gave him a new career-high 31 points this season...Boychuk had to be helped off the ice late in the third period after his left leg collided with Asham's leg on a hit near the right boards...Dupuis extended his point streak to 15 games (9G, 11A), which is the longest in the NHL this season...The Penguins have won five straight games in Boston. the last time Pittsburgh won five straight games in Boston was from March 27, 1993-March 4, 1995.
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