Cullen powers Pens past Hurricanes

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Matt Cullen is well-versed in the electricity that creeps into a locker room when the games dwindle down to a precious few and the playoffs loom. It’s one of the main reasons the veteran Pittsburgh Penguins center — at 42 the NHL’s oldest player — keeps coming back for more.

When Cullen arrived at work Sunday for Pittsburgh’s pivotal showdown with Carolina, the vibe was unmistakable and familiar. So was the result.

Cullen scored a goal and added an assist and the Penguins took a major step toward locking up a postseason spot for a 13th consecutive year with a 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes.

“We had a real playoff feel in here which is good and the energy in the building was great,” Cullen said. “It was a big game for our team. Obviously it’s a huge two points.”

Pittsburgh sits at 97 points with three games left in the regular season. The Penguins need two points — be it a victory in any fashion, a pair of overtime losses or any single loss by Montreal — to extend the NHL’s longest active postseason streak.

“I think we still have some really good opportunities in front of us,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “Until that regular season is over, we’ve got to continue to grab points. We’ve got to make the playoffs first and foremost. Then we can look at the opportunities beyond. This was a big opportunity tonight.”

Carolina’s bid to reach the postseason for the first time in a decade took a hit. The loss combined with Columbus’ win in Buffalo dropped the Hurricanes to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Carolina has 93 points, just one ahead of the Canadiens with a week to go.

Jaccob Slavin’s power-play goal with just under eight minutes to go spoiled Murray’s bid for a shutout but by then the Penguins were firmly in control.

Curtis McElhinney finished with 25 saves while losing for the third time in four starts. A day removed from a lopsided win in Philadelphia, the Hurricanes spent the first two periods running in place against Pittsburgh.

“Just didn’t have any jump, I guess,” Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk said. “We were pretty flat. We didn’t make smart decisions.

Blue Jackets 4, Sabres 0

BUFFALO, N.Y.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 38 shots and the Columbus Blue Jackets won their fifth straight by beating the free-falling Buffalo Sabres.

The Blue Jackets continued to close in on their third straight playoff berth while entering the final week of the season.

Bobrovsky took over the NHL lead with his ninth shutout — one more than Vegas’ Marc-Andre Fleury — and third in five games.

Nick Foligno capped a three-goal first period and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his 25th and added two assists.

Oliver Bjorkstrand and Josh Anderson had a goal each for a Columbus team that has scored four or more in each of its past five, a stretch in which the Blue Jackets have outscored their opponents by a combined 24-4.