Penguins gain valuable points in NHL Eastern Conference race

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chris Kunitz lost a goal and a hat trick he insists he didn’t deserve. The two points? Kunitz and captain Sidney Crosby believe the Pittsburgh Penguins very much earned both of those.

Sergei Gonchar and Kunitz scored 18 seconds apart early in the third period, Petr Sykora got the game-winner later in the period and the Penguins gained a valuable victory in the Eastern Conference race, beating Boston 6-4 on Sunday.

The Penguins rallied from deficits of 3-2 and 2-1 to beat the conference-leading Bruins for only the second time in six games and moved ahead of idle Montreal into fifth place in the crowded standings. The Penguins picked up at least one point for the 10th consecutive game, going 8-0-2 during the run.

Crosby had three assists to reach the 90-point mark and has at least one point in 10 consecutive games.

“It’s not something on my mind right now, I’m trying to do my best and help with this last push here,” Crosby said. “It’s a big time for us. You see how tight the games are now, every team is desperate and battling hard.”

Each of the Penguins’ last five games has been decided by a goal, with the previous four going to shootouts.

Kunitz was originally credited with a power-play goal 43 seconds into the third that tied it at 3, but Gonchar was given the goal during a postgame review. Kunitz lost what would have been his second career hat trick because of the change.

Seconds later. Kunitz got loose on a short breakaway off Bill Guerin’s pass and beat Tim Thomas by shifting from his forehand to his backhand before slipping the puck between the goalie’s pads.

Not long after Kunitz’s second goal, Michael Ryder tied it at 4 for Boston, which was trying to become the first NHL team to reach the 100-point mark this season.

Sykora put Pittsburgh back into the lead with his 24th midway through the third, 13 seconds after Boston killed off a Penguins power play that included 17 seconds with a two-man advantage.

Jordan Staal shed a defender with a spin move in the corner and threw the puck to Sykora for a quick wrist shot from the left circle. Staal added an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Phil Kessel scored his 31st goal and fourth in three games and former Penguins player Mark Recchi and Blake Wheeler also scored for the Bruins.