Nico Hischier scored his 100th career goal as part of a two-goal, two-assist night, Vitek Vanecek made 29 saves and the Devils breezed past the weary Penguins on Saturday.
The young Devils are surging. The Penguins, meanwhile, are skidding. And a playoff berth that's been a rite of spring in Pittsburgh for the better part of two decades may be in jeopardy.
Evgeni Malkin scored twice for Pittsburgh to reach the 20-goal plateau. Dustin Tokarski stopped 38 shots but it wasn't nearly enough as the Penguins lost for the third time in four games. The Devils, in second place in the Metropolitan behind Carolina, appear headed to their first playoff appearance since 2018.
"We're going to see what we're made of here down the stretch," Crosby said."That's the situation we're in and hopefully it brings out the best in us." Mercer tied it just 1:20 later following a sequence that began with Pittsburgh defenseman Chad Ruhwedel getting tangled up with a linesman deep in the Penguins' zone. A turnover soon followed and Mercer emerged from a scramble in front to rip a shot by Tokarski.
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