Pittsburgh Penguins Comeback Puts Them in the Playoff Picture

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their seventh consecutive game and jumped up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings after a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers.

The Pens trailed 3-1 after two periods but made a big comeback. Evgeni Malkin scored Pittsburgh's first goal, backhanding a Crosby pass into the net. Jordan Staal got the second.

Bill Guerin scored on a shot grazed off Sidney Crosby's stick, a goal post, and the back of the goalie's pants and slipped over the goal line. Letang scored on a high shot during the shootout.

Guerin got his 400th career assist on Crosby's goal. He has five points in his three games with the Penguins.

The Penguins are back on the road Thursday before starting a stretch of eight consecutive home games.

They have leap-frogged over the New York Rangers. The New York Rangers are out of the playoffs for the first time this season.  The Rangers had their three-game winning streak snapped and dropped out of playoff position.

New York is now ninth in the East. The Panthers are one point behind the Penguins, tied with Carolina.

If the Stanley Cup playoffs started today, first place Boston Bruins would play the Carolina Hurricane, New Jersey would play Florida, Ovechkin and the Capitals would play Crosby, Malkin, and the Penguins, and the Flyers would play the Canadiens.

The Sharks would play the Predators, the Red Wings would face the Oilers, the Flames would play the Bluejackets , and the Blackhawks would meet the Canucks.