{"id":544896,"date":"2026-04-07T04:21:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:21:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/544896\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T04:21:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:21:42","slug":"penguins-eliminate-panthers-inch-closer-to-playoff-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/544896\/","title":{"rendered":"Penguins Eliminate Panthers, Inch Closer to Playoff Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AThe Penguins’ decisive victories over the reigning champions have put them in prime position to secure a playoff spot.Today in Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers for the second consecutive day, eliminating the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions from playoff contention. Penguins stars Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby led the way, with Rakell scoring twice and Crosby adding a goal and two assists.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The Penguins’ wins over the Panthers have put them in a strong position to clinch a playoff spot, continuing the team’s streak of postseason appearances. The defending champions’ elimination is a significant development in the NHL’s Eastern Conference playoff race.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

The Penguins followed up their victory over the Panthers on Wednesday with another win on Thursday, solidifying their hold on a playoff position. Rakell scored twice, while Crosby contributed a goal and two assists to the effort.<\/p>\n

The Penguins defeated the Panthers on Wednesday, April 5, 2026.The Penguins defeated the Panthers again on Thursday, April 6, 2026.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Rickard Rakell<\/p>\n

A forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins who scored two goals in the team’s back-to-back wins over the Panthers.<\/p>\n

Sidney Crosby<\/p>\n

The captain and star center for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who recorded a goal and two assists in the team’s victories over the Panthers.<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers<\/p>\n

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions who were eliminated from playoff contention following their losses to the Penguins.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

The NHL team that defeated the defending champion Panthers in consecutive games, moving closer to clinching a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Got photos? Submit your photos here. \u203a<\/a>
\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew these games against Florida were going to be crucial, and the guys really stepped up to the challenge. This puts us in a great position heading into the final stretch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Mike Sullivan, Head Coach, Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Penguins will look to clinch a playoff spot in their remaining regular season games, while the Panthers’ focus will shift to the offseason and making roster changes to bounce back next year.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

The Penguins’ back-to-back wins over the defending champions have solidified their position in the playoff race, showcasing the team’s resilience and ability to rise to the occasion against top competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Penguins’ decisive victories over the reigning champions have put…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5113],"tags":[5,4,118,1469,100,5216],"class_list":{"0":"post-544896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-penguins","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-nhl","10":"tag-penguins","11":"tag-pittsburgh","12":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","13":"tag-pittsburghpenguins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116361514303516352","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}