Crosby, Malkin, Letang lead Penguins back to playoffs with win against Devils

NEWARK, N.J. – The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 season on Thursday, and it was only fitting that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang each played a big role in the win that got them there.

Malkin had a goal and an assist, Crosby had two assists and Letang had one assist in a 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center. The three have been Penguins teammates since the 2005-06 season, the core of a team that won the Stanley Cup three times (2009, 2016, 2017) and went to the postseason for 16 straight years before a three-year drought that ended Thursday.

"It's exciting. That's why you play,” Crosby said. “That's the best time of year, so to know that we're going be there and to set out to do that and obviously even more, it's nice to get rewarded. Everybody has had a part in this. Obviously, it's a team game, but especially with this group: With the injuries and all the different guys in and out, everybody's contributed to us getting there."

Egor Chinakhov had a goal and two assists, and Bryan Rust, Tommy Novak and Erik Karlsson also scored for the Penguins (41-22-16), who will finish second in the Metropolitan Division and have home-ice advantage for the Eastern Conference First Round.

“I'm thrilled for everybody, but like these guys (Crosby, Malkin, Letang), what they've done for the game, it's amazing,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “They should be in the playoffs, and they're back, and I so I'm thrilled for them.”

Stuart Skinner made 19 saves for Pittsburgh. He’s in his first season with the Penguins after going to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals with the Edmonton Oilers the past two seasons, falling each time to the Florida Panthers.

"I definitely feel differently just from the experience I have,” Skinner said about playing in the postseason for Pittsburgh. “Just like a lot of guys in this room. They've been there and they've gotten the job done. We're feeling really good. We're very excited for this opportunity. Today's a day for us to celebrate that for a solid hour and then get back to work. But yeah, there's obviously differences in how teams play and what not. I'm really excited."

Paul Cotter and Jack Hughes scored and Jake Allen made 25 saves for the Devils (40-36-3), who were eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday.

The game was 1-1 midway through the second period when Novak and Chinakhov scored nine seconds apart to put the Penguins ahead.

Novak made it a 2-1 game at 11:43, taking a pass from Malkin near the goal and beating Allen on the short side.

Crosby won the ensuing face-off back to defenseman Ryan Shea, who flipped the puck in the air and found Chinakhov, who was able to gather it and bat a backhanded shot past Allen and give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead at 11:52.

Crosby, when asked if he wondered if he would ever get back to the postseason said, “I know how hard it is. I think I understand that. We had some tough ones where it came down to the last day and didn't get in, and you don't ever know.”

Muse, in his first year as an NHL head coach and first season with the Penguins, said he knew in training camp this team had what it took to get back to the postseason.

“I just saw the competitive nature of the group. You know, that combination of the competitiveness, just the different players that we have that,” Muse said. “I think as we went through that training camp and exhibition games, I think there was a lot of belief was built up, I know for our staff, but I think the group started to build belief as well.”

Rust gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 4:53 of the first period when he completed a slick tic-tac-toe play with Letang and Chinakhov.

The Devils made it 1-1 at 9:51 of the second period when Dougie Hamilton flipped a high pass over the Penguins defense to Cotter, who skated in on Skinner and beat him with a slick forehand, backhand move.

Hughes got the Devils to within 3-2 at 15:07 of the second when he took a pass near the blue line from Jonas Siegenthaler, skated into the slot and beat Skinner with a wrist shot.

Malkin gave Pittsburgh a 4-2 lead at 6:50 of the third, picking up a loose puck in the crease and banging it home after Crosby tossed the puck on goal from below the goal line.

"I was just trying to dig the puck out,” Crosby said. “I made the move, lost it, tried to bank it off him and then saw it laying there and saw Geno coming in out of nowhere, so I was happy to see him put that in. That would've been a tough one to not see go in. That was a huge goal to give us that cushion."

Karlsson scored an empty-net goal at 17:00 to make it 5-2.

The Penguins have three games left in the regular season – including a home-and-home with Alex Ovechkin and Washington Capitals on Saturday and Sunday – but don’t yet know who they will face in the first round.

"You want to focus on finishing the season strong,” Crosby said. “That's the big thing, and then kind of let that sort itself out. But yeah I'm sure we'll be watching closely, and we want to prepare and make sure we're ready."

NOTES: The two points gave Malkin 61 for the season (19 goals, 42 assists), making him and Crosby (74 points, 29 goals, 45 assists), the first set of teammates in NHL history to record at least 60 points in the same season at age 38 or older (age at start of season). Malkin is 39, Crosby is 38. … Crosby had his 263rd career multiassist game, passing Adam Oates (262) for seventh most in NHL history. … Crosby now has 1,107 assists, and is two from tying Joe Thornton for seventh most in NHL history.