Penguins-Panthers: Sidney Crosby Fights in 4-2 Loss to Florida

The Florida Panthers upset the Pittsburgh Penguins with a score of 4-2 on Sunday.  They moved into a tie with the New York Rangers for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and the final playoff spot. Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin were kept off the scoresheet by the Panthers.

Crosby did not score for the second night in a row, but he did fight.  Malkin remains just two points ahead of Alex Ovechkin.

The Pittsburgh Penguins out-shot the Florida Panthers 42 to 26 and dominated a good deal of the game, but the Panthers found a way to beat them and climb into the playoff picture.

Florida took the lead before the two-minute mark on a goal by Rostislav Olesz but the Penguins tied it four minutes later with a goal by Tyler Kennedy.

Florida scored with 20 seconds left to play in the first period on a goal by Bryan McCabe and went up 3-1 with just 12 seconds left in the second.

Crosby fought with Florida defenseman Keith Ballard, who also got five for fighting but not the extra two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Penguins hit the post twice in the third period and, assisted by Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz, Mark Eaton scored on the power play to make it 3-2 with just over six minutes remaining in the game.

The Panthers got a huge goal to make it 4-2 with four minutes left in the third penalty. Ville Peltonen scored unassisted.

Despite the loss, the Penguins remain in sixth place. They are now just one point ahead of the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 on Saturday.

If the playoffs began tomorrow, the final playoff spot would go to the Rangers rather than the Panthers, because they have two more victories.