The Pittsburgh Penguins were down to their final three games. Despite no opportunities to play spoil in the season's final week, they showed they are still a prideful bunch as they rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to emerge victorious 4-2 against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.

The Penguins must win their final two games to finish with a .500 record while several players chase individual milestones. Some of them inched closer on Friday. Let's discuss. 

Crosby is a Certified Legend

Only five players in NHL history scored 90 points after their 37th birthday. With a goal and an assist against New Jersey, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby is now just one point shy of becoming the sixth player and two points short of Mario Lemieux's team record of 91 points at age 37 in 2002-03.

Penguins' Crosby On Pace To Become Sixth Player To Score 90 Points At 37 Or OlderPittsburgh Penguins captain

In a classic down-on-one-knee goal, Crosby gave Pittsburgh their first lead in the third period, the only lead they'd need after falling behind 2-0. As many people have pointed out, no one can ask a group of 20 professional hockey players to "tank," and with Crosby continuing to pile up the points at 37, he's too prideful to give up opportunities to further cement his legacy as one of the game's greatest.  

Rust's Career Year Overshadowed by Missed Playoffs

Fans outside of Pittsburgh may not know that Bryan Rust set a career-high with 29 goals and, with two games left on the schedule, could become a 30-goal scorer for the first time. 

Rust Sets New Career-High As Penguins Defeat Devils, 4-2In a season full of lows for the

Until 2022, Rust never missed the playoffs, but 2024-25 will mark the third consecutive year he'll miss the postseason, which is a shame considering he's on the cusp of 30 goals and surpassed 60 points for the first time. 

The 2010 Penguins draft pick scored his 200th goal this year and now has over 400 points, ranking in the top 15 in franchise history. However, with no shot to win another Stanley Cup, Rust will have to settle for a career year during a season ending with a potential sub-.500 record for the first time since 2005-06.

Jarry Rebounds After Horrific Start

Tristan Jarry has been one of the Penguins' strongest players in the past month, but there are still a few wrinkles in his game that need ironing out—like giving up a goal on the first shot.

Penguins' fans must have buried their heads in their hands when Jarry gave up a goal 15 seconds into the game, then surrendered another six minutes later to put his team in a deep hole. 

Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule: Remaining Games & Statistical NotesThe Pittsburgh Penguins are winding down their 2024-25 season and will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season, a first in Sidney Crosby's 20-year career. However, there is plenty to play for in the final weeks.

However, Jarry responded to guide Pittsburgh to a win, making 26 saves after giving up those two goals early. Since returning in early March, the 29-year-old is quietly 8-3-2dsexW with a .904 SV%. No one would believe it, especially after recent back-to-back pulls, but he's proven that he's still capable of being a top goalie when the system in front of him is also working. 

When defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins last summer, he did so with the mindset that he'd come in and simply be given some opportunity to re-find his game.

But consistent top-four minutes and running the top power play weren't exactly what he had in mind from the jump.

“I think I’ve been given a lot of opportunity, which is all you can ask for as a player," Grzelcyk said. "I wasn’t really expecting to, maybe, play as much or be on the power play, but obviously, I welcomed that with open arms."

And he has not only welcomed that opportunity, he's made the most of it.

Fast forward nine months after signing a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Penguins last summer, and Grzelcyk has enjoyed a career year. After a two-point effort in a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils Friday, he has a career-high 38 points, which includes 15 power play points as a result of quarterbacking a top unit with the likes of Sidney Crosby and other future hall-of-fame players on a rotating basis. And those numbers surpass previous career-highs of 26 and seven, respectively, from his eight-year tenure with the Boston Bruins. 

His work on the power play is a big reason why the unit has catapulted itself from bottom-three in the league last season to top-seven this season. And his overall progression throughout the season has not gone unnoticed.

Rust Sets New Career-High As Penguins Defeat Devils, 4-2In a season full of lows for the

"He certainly has done a really good job on the power play," said assistant coach David Quinn, who coaches both the defense and the power play. "It's not an easy situation to step into, but I think he's had a heck of a year. He had a really good career in Boston. Last year was a little bit of a down year for him, but health had something to do with it.

"I think he's really done a great job taking advantage of the situation that he's been presented with here, and he's earned everything he's gotten. Obviously, he's done a really good job on the power play, he's played big minutes for us, and I think, defensively, he's gotten better and better as the season has gone on. So, we're fortunate to have him. He's really done a good job here."

Grzelcyk's puck-moving ability and the simplicity in his game have certainly endeared him to his teammates and to the coaching staff.

"I think he's fit in real well," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "We love his ability to move the puck, and that's an important element of our team game is getting back to pucks on retrievals and being able to advance the puck to get out of our end. That's his biggest attribute, his biggest strength, and I think he's brought that to this team."

The offensive side of his game is something he has been able to fully unleash in Pittsburgh, as the system is inherently more catered toward offense as opposed to Boston's defense-heavy system. Pittsburgh focuses a lot on generating chances off the rush and from the transition game. 

And that adjustment systems-wise has been pretty seamless for Grzelcyk - especially given the elite, offense-first players he has been sharing the ice with for most of the season.

"Not that we don’t value defense here," Grzelcyk said. "But with the caliber of players, the way that they create off the rush and get open in the o-zone… I’m just taking some time to pick their brains, seeing certain face-off plays or how they see the ice a little bit."

And when he's been deployed with those players - as he has all season long - it lends to an uptick in his offensive game, which has shown in the results. But he's also still working on some of those defensive details that were a huge part of his game prior to his stint in Pittsburgh. 

"Offensively, I'm playing in more situations, getting more o-zone starts," Grzelcyk said. "Defensively, I think there’s still some things that I want to sharpen up on and continue to improve there... have good gaps, things like that. But I feel like I have a better understanding of how things work here now."

And Sullivan also believes that he has made the most of his opportunity, especially given the fact that his deployment and minutes exceeded what even the coaching staff - not just Grzelcyk - anticipated when the blueliner was first brought in. 

"I think he's quietly had a very solid season for us," Sullivan said. He's played in the top-four all year long. I don't know that we anticipated playing him in the top-four when we first signed him, but he's earned his way in there based on the group that we have. I think, in those terms, it would be hard to sit here and say he hasn't had a solid contribution for us. I think he's quietly had a really good year for himself."

After staying put past deadline day, Grzelcyk is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. There's no telling what will happen this summer, as the team can go in multiple different directions as far as its approach to next season's roster construction.

But Grzelcyk has enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh, a city he was drawn to initially when deciding where to land last summer. And he hopes to stick around.

 “I would love to come back," Grzelcyk said. "You never know how it’s going to shake out, especially after the deadline. But it’s obviously been a very positive experience for myself, and I love the city. I got drafted here in 2012, played my first game. So that kind of just started pulling me in this direction a little bit, and then just talking with the coaches and things like that in the offseason and how it fit in.

"It’s felt pretty comfortable from the start, and the guys have been super welcoming. It was a pretty seamless transition, and I’m super thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”

Like Ovechkin's Capitals, Penguins Owe It To Crosby To Right The ShipOn Sunday, the hockey world got to witness Alexander Ovechkin - The Great “8” -

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The Buffalo Sabres are playing out the string of another playoffless season, but with four games left in the on the schedule, the club will have a big say on who will win the Atlantic Division and have home-ice advantage in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The Sabres take on the Florida Panthers in the first of back-to-back weekend games in the Sunshine State on Saturday and will start James Reimer in goal. The Panthers are in third place in the Atlantic with 96 points. They would move into a tie for second place with Tampa Bay and come closer to locking up one of the top three spots in the division, moving six points ahead of the Ottawa Senators with a win over Buffalo.

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On Sunday, the Sabres play in Tampa against the Lightning, who have 98 points. Depending on the outcome of the Toronto - Montreal game on Saturday, the Lightning could move into a tie with the Leafs for first place entering the final week of the campaign. Tampa has stumbled in the last few games, with overtime losses to Toronto and Detroit, so on the eve of a critical match against the Panthers on Tuesday, they will need to get two points with Buffalo likely starting Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

The Maple Leafs make their final visit to Buffalo on Tuesday, with potentially a lot riding on the outcome. The Leafs have 100 points and will use up their game in hand on Tampa on Saturday. If they win over the Habs and on Sunday in the second of back-to-back games in Carolina on Sunday, a win at Key Bank Center could conceivably clinch the division, but with the Sabres 13-2-0 in their last 15 games and 22-14-3 overall this season at Key Bank Center and their traditional good fortune against Toronto at home, Buffalo could very well strike a blow to their hated rival’s division-winning aspirations. 

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