Penguins close in on another playoff berth

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Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Mike Sullivan admires his team’s resiliency. The Pittsburgh Penguins coach would just prefer to not have to rely on it so much.

Still, Sullivan can live with the sluggish starts — for now — when it leads to the Penguins playing the kind of hockey they’ll need with greater regularity once mid-April arrives.

Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel beat Chad Johnson in a shootout and Penguins inched closer to a 10th straight playoff berth with a 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night.

Ben Lovejoy, Conor Sheary, Tom Kuhnhackl and Nick Bonino scored during a furious second period as the Penguins climbed out of an early three-goal deficit and then won it when Kessel’s wrist shot slipped by Johnson’s left pad and into the net.

“I don’t think any of us to a man liked the first period,” Sullivan said. “But the good news is there’s 40 minutes left and we’re a good enough team that if we put our minds to it, we can climb back in it.”

Rookie Matt Murray made 26 saves, including a breakaway stop on Sabres rookie Jake Eichel in overtime, as the Penguins pulled within a point of the New York Rangers for second in the crowded Metropolitan Division.