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NHL: Penguins beat Flyers, grab division title

Pittsburgh Penguins` Evgeni Malkin, right, is slammed into the boards by Philadelphia Flyers` Mike Richards, left, during the second period of their NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. PHOTO :AP

Sidney Crosby scored twice and assisted on another goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins wrapped up their first division title in a decade with a 4-2 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

“We just had the right attitude,” Crosby told reporters after the Penguins claimed the Atlantic Division crown, their first since claiming the Northeast Division crown in 1998.

“With the skill we have out there, if we have the right attitude and a good work ethic, we’re going to be successful,” he added.

All four goals came on the powerplay as the Penguins took a two-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens in the race for first place in the Eastern Conference.

A loss in regulation by Montreal in either of its final two games or a Pittsburgh win in Sunday’s regular-season finale at Philadelphia would give the Penguins the conference title.

Crosby tied the game at 2-2 with a second-period goal and completed the scoring with 1:34 remaining in the contest.

Sergei Gonchar assisted on both of Crosby’s goals after scoring in the first period off assists by Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

Malkin had Pittsburgh’s other goal, putting the Penguins ahead 3-2 with his 47th goal of the season 14:33 into the second period.

The victory was the eighth consecutive at home for the Penguins.

“That’s probably the most intense game since I got back here a second time,” said Crosby, who returned three games ago from a recurrence of a high right ankle sprain that had sidelined him from Jan. 18 until March 4 and again from March 10-27.

The Penguins win means all but two of the NHL’s six division titles have been decided.

The Carolina Hurricanes moved within one victory -- or one Washington Capitals loss -- of claiming the Southeast Division championship with a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday.

Chad LaRose had a hat-trick in the home win.

The Minnesota Wild has a two-point lead over the Colorado Avalanche in the Northwest Division, the only other title still undecided.

Devils 3, Bruins 2, SO

At Newark, New Jersey, Zach Parise scored the only goal in a four-round shootout and New Jersey topped Boston for its third straight win.

Martin Brodeur stopped Bruins shooters Glen Metropolit, Phil Kessel, David Krejci and Marco Sturm in the first four rounds, setting up Parise’s duel with Tim Thomas.

The Bruins inched closer to a playoff spot, earning a point for the sixth straight game (3-0-3) on goals by Dennis Wideman and Milan Lucic. It gave them 92 points, tying Boston with Ottawa for sixth place in the Eastern Conference -- one point ahead of eighth-place Philadelphia. All three teams have two games to play.

New Jersey’s win assured that the Devils won’t finish lower than fifth in the East.

Dainius Zubrus and David Clarkson scored for the Devils.

In other games it was:

• Hurricanes 6, Lightning 2

• Blackhawks 6, Red Wings2