NHL roundup: Penguins lock down playoff spot with win over Devils on the road

[p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pensacola-ice-flyers/6FuC5vxe/"]Pens[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/new-jersey-devils-Kh0O591A/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=2FJUOWgA"]won 5-2 on the road[/a] thanks to goals from five different players. They were made to work for the win though, as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rust-bryan/04PTZQi9/"]Bryan Rust[/a]'s opener was cancelled by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cotter-paul/MRTcNgcG/"]Paul Cotter[/a]'s equalizer. [/p][p]From there, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pittsburgh-penguins/AkN0nWU6/"]Pittsburgh[/a] got the upper hand in the goals department. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/novak-thomas/l6XdQI8b/"]Thomas Novak[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/chinakhov-yegor/d6aSJwA9/"]Yigor Chinakhov[/a] scored nine seconds apart to make it 3-1, and while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hughes-jack/nNIFwLLH/"]Jack Hughes[/a] halved the deficit before the end of the second, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/malkin-evgeni/l0fNz1jg/"]Evgeni Malkin[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karlsson-erik/QPyAsZAH/"]Erik Karlsson[/a] added third period goals to give the Pens the win.[/p][embed guid="cfc6f3b3-a964-45a8-947b-9ba621858c98" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2042412885880500307?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Having picked up a third successive victory, the Penguins were the fifth team in the Eastern Conference to lock down a playoff spot. The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-jersey-devils/Kh0O591A/"]Devils[/a], already eliminated from contention, lost for the third time in four games.[/p][p]Also winning on Thursday were the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/montreal-canadiens/nu2G7VWc/"]Montreal Canadiens[/a], who edged the visiting [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tampa-bay-lightning/YVE3zk1c/"]Tampa Bay Lightning[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/montreal-canadiens-nu2G7VWc/tampa-bay-lightning-YVE3zk1c/?mid=2she5q8s"]2-1 at the Bell Centre[/a]. The night was particularly special for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/caufield-cole/OMWDW69Q/"]Cole Caufield[/a], who opened the scoring in the second period with his 50th of the season.[/p][embed guid="62e21841-4fd4-46dc-b64a-d29ae26d723d" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2042398784768868778?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raddysh-darren/dd2BLyG3/"]Darren Raddysh[/a] found the leveller for the Bolts with a little less than two minutes left in regulation. Many thought that there would be extra hockey in Quebec, until [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/slafkovsky-juraj/ATgrbSxq/"]Juraj Slafkovsky[/a] netted what proved to be the winner with 64 seconds left.[/p][p]With their 10th victory in their last 11, the Habs are still looking to top the Eastern Conference. They sit four points off the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/carolina-hurricanes/Sx0gl0tm/"]Carolina Hurricanes[/a], who won their game [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/carolina-hurricanes-Sx0gl0tm/chicago-blackhawks-A1kbmKeg/?mid=fDb9Hlnp"]7-2 away[/a] to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chicago-blackhawks/A1kbmKeg/"]Chicago Blackhawks[/a]. Montreal also jumped ahead of Tampa for third in the conference, the latter having lost for the third time in a row.[/p][p]Elsewhere, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ottawa-senators/noTCHmWM/"]Ottawa Senators[/a] continue to cling onto the final postseason berth in the East [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/florida-panthers-fc1eq8Pp/ottawa-senators-noTCHmWM/?mid=ri033Nxf"]thanks to a 5-1 defeat[/a] of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/florida-panthers/fc1eq8Pp/"]Florida Panthers[/a]. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zetterlund-fabian/Iav9HZfP/"]Fabian Zetterlund[/a] scored twice for the Sens as tbey near one of the wildcard places. [/p][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/new-york-islanders/xESz5TGG/"]New York Islanders[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/detroit-red-wings/dnJdmCF0/"]Detroit Red Wings[/a] kept within touching distance of the wildcard spots thanks to wins of their own. The former got past the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/toronto-maple-leafs/ShE7Z8G3/"]Toronto Maple Leafs[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/new-york-islanders-xESz5TGG/toronto-maple-leafs-ShE7Z8G3/?mid=G4bB1176"]5-3[/a], while the latter topped the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philadelphia-flyers/QySGG7oT/"]Philadelphia Flyers[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/detroit-red-wings-dnJdmCF0/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/?mid=rD3TQhPc"]6-3[/a].[/p][p]Detroit's win was particularly important as they defeated a fellow playoff hopeful. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/larkin-dylan/b1K98MUq/"]Dylan Larkin[/a] scored a hat-trick for the Red Wings as they chose the perfect time to snap a three-game losing skid. They are still a point off from the Flyers with three games left.[/p][embed guid="c2163881-b9fc-4d3f-b622-1238c6b39fd0" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2042417349840523772?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/buffalo-sabres/UobjtMIP/"]Buffalo Sabres[/a] shut out the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/columbus-blue-jackets/0vCzmbQ5/"]Columbus Blue Jackets[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/buffalo-sabres-UobjtMIP/columbus-blue-jackets-0vCzmbQ5/?mid=jJGs3kXj"]5-0 at home[/a] to increase their hopes of topping the conference, while also damaging the Blue Jackets' hopes of making it through.[/p][p]In Utah, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/utah-mammoth/hnwxhtVp/"]Mammoth[/a] got past the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nashville-predators/QV0K6kn4/"]Nashville Predators[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/nashville-predators-QV0K6kn4/utah-mammoth-hnwxhtVp/?mid=2w2HFSGd"]4-1[/a] to solidify their chances of making the postseason. The Predators' loss adds more pressure to them as they are just above the line. [/p][p]Having won the Western Conference, the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colorado-avalanche/hACAnvBa/"]Colorado Avalanche[/a] clinched the President's Trophy, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/calgary-flames-EZekktRt/colorado-avalanche-hACAnvBa/?mid=vwp6NrUP"]with a 3-1 success[/a] over the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/calgary-flames/EZekktRt/"]Calgary Flames[/a].[/p][embed guid="48f5096f-23f7-4fb8-8709-bf67e364c735" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2042446953909219557?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Gabriel Landeskog and Martin Necas were the first two scorers for the Avs as they were well on their way to another win.[/p][p]They did concede with 2:52 left in the game to make it 2-1, only for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mackinnon-nathan/dhMyX3sE/"]Nathan MacKinnon[/a] to score an empty-netter to give the Avalanche another win. [/p][p]It was a 46th win of what has been a remarkable year for Colorado. They are seven goals away from 300 on the year, having let in just 198 with four games left.[/p][p][i][b]Other scores[/b][/i][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/st-louis-blues-KSAayVoi/winnipeg-jets-r3L8pAaJ/?mid=CWiKauxJ"]St. Louis Blues 2-3 Winnipeg Jets[/a][/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/dallas-stars-vVAvnIuC/minnesota-wild-j9Ck7BHi/?mid=AuNxNAOM"]Dallas Stars 5-4 Minnesota Wild[/a][/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/anaheim-ducks-4CM4ojpD/san-jose-sharks-E588Co9j/?mid=4do1Nvz3"]Anaheim Ducks 6-1 San Jose Sharks[/a][/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/seattle-kraken-MibYQ5nU/vegas-golden-knights-fTT0TsUg/?mid=xAq9LI4F"]Seattle Kraken 4-3 Vegas Golden Knights (after shootout)[/a][/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/los-angeles-kings-CIDo8i2o/vancouver-canucks-YiOrnTV9/?mid=OALxIMim"]Los Angeles Kings 4-1 Vancouver Canucks[/a][/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/nhl/"]Follow all of the National Hockey League action on Flashscore as the regular season nears its end.[/a][/b][/p]