PITTSBURGH — Their magic number is down to three. The Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-16) again finished their chances with enthusiasm and capitalized on mistakes against the battered Florida Panthers (37-37-3). The Penguins completed their two-game sweep of Florida, winning 5-1 Sunday at PPG Paints Arena.

The Penguins have four games remaining.

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Sunday was a markedly different game than the Saturday track meet. While the Penguins were flying Saturday, whizzing by Florida with breakouts and zone entries to create offensive zone pressure, the game Sunday was immediately more grinding.

The first goal took 11 minutes exactly into the first period, and it was far from pretty. Florida goalie Daniil Tarasov attempted to play the puck away from the Penguins forecheckers, but played it directly to Elmer Soderblom (6), who immediately fired it past a surprised Tarasov for a 1-0 lead.

Another day, another Sidney Crosby milestone.

The Penguins scored twice more before the first period ended, including a goal and a primary assist by Crosby, giving him 71 points (29-42-71) this season and guaranteeing his record-extending 21st consecutive season with at least a point per game.

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Just 35 seconds after Florida tied the game 1-1 on a slapshot by Cole Schwindt that hit Penguins goalie Artus Silovs and dribbled bounced across the line, Sidney Crosby reclaimed the lead.

Florida scored at 16:10, but Egor Chinakhov sprang Crosby into the offensive zone behind the defense. From the left circle, Crosby (29) sniped a shot over Tarasov’s glove to the far post at 16:50.

Bryan Rust assisted on the goal, giving him 500 points in his career.

Crosby set up the next Penguins goal late in the first period. After Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk cross-checked Connor Dewar from behind, Tkachuk and Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon dropped the gloves. Referees kept the Penguins’ power play, which they converted.

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Crosby set up Rickard Rakell (23) for a one-timer from the slot for a 3-1 lead at 19:13.

And the third milestone of the first period was Evgeni Malkin’s assist, guaranteeing him a 16th season with at least a point per game.

The Penguins were the team that finally lit the lamp in the penalty filled but sleepy second period. Silovs was quite good in the period, stopping several point-blank Florida chances, including a few on the power play.

The Penguins failed to convert on Eetu Luostarinen’s double-minor for high-sticking Rickard Rakell, but late in the second, Rakell scored his second goal of the game when he was the third forward on the rush. After Tommy Novak’s shot was deflected behind the net, Malkin set up Rakell (24) in the low slot for an important three-goal lead, 4-1.

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Early in the third period, the Penguins began to play with a killer instinct. Off the rush, Crosby earned his third point of the game when his turning backhand pass set up Bryan Rust alone in the slot. Tarasov stopped Rust’s first shot, but Rust (28) poked the rebound into the cage at 3:48 of the third.

The goal gave the Penguins an insurmountable 5-1 lead.

Before the game, the Penguins announced that likely starter Stuart Skinner would not dress after suffering an upper-body injury, believed to be a facial injury from being struck by an errant puck on the bench Saturday. The Penguins quickly recalled Wheeling Nailers goalie Taylor Guathier because they could not get Sergei Murashov to the game from Wilkes-Barre in time.

Florida’s Carter Verhaege (24) scored on a longer wrister through a couple of screens at 14:15.

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Silovs snared 29 of 31 shots. Tarasov stopped 18 of 23.

The post Penguins Pounce, Playoff Spot Within Reach appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

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