National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 3
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, March 30, 2012
Where: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Referees: Dean Morton, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Steve Miller, Michel Cormier
Attendance: 18690


PENGUINS 5, SABRES 3: Captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists and Evgeni Malkin netted his career-high 48th tally to put an end to host Buffalo's five-game winning streak.

The Sabres' loss in regulation allowed reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston to clinch a postseason berth.

After being held without a point in his last two contests, Crosby has 20 during a 13-game point streak against the Sabres.

James Neal notched his 38th goal on the power play at 11:43 of the second period to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead. Crosby assisted on the play to collect his 600th career NHL point.

The captain picked up his third assist when Steve Sullivan backhanded the puck past Ryan Miller later in the frame to give Pittsburgh a 4-2 advantage.

Thomas Vanek responded with his 26th tally, but that's as close as Buffalo would get. Jordan Leopold and Tyler Ennis also scored for the Sabres, who fell to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Malkin scored when he buried his own rebound in the first period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (lower body) didn't play. ... Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen (upper body) also sat out. ... With his assist on Neal's second-period goal, Crosby became the seventh youngest player in NHL history to record 600 points. ... With two assists, Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis extended his points streak to 13 games.

Top Game Performances
 
Pittsburgh   Buffalo
Sidney Crosby 4 Points Tyler Ennis 1
Sidney Crosby 1 Goals Tyler Ennis 1
Sidney Crosby 3 Assists Ville Leino 1
Evgeni Malkin 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Brent Johnson .893 Save Percentage Ryan Miller .879
Brent Johnson 25 Saves Ryan Miller 29
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Pittsburgh 34 5 2-3 2-2 4 27
Buffalo 28 3 0-2 1-3 6 32
Upcoming Games
  • Buffalo will play their next game on the road against Toronto. The Sabres have a W/L % of .474 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Philadelphia. The Penguins have a W/L % of .638 after a win and .581 after a loss.