The Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Buffalo Sabres 8-4 last night at PPG Paints Arena.
Jeff Carter had his first career 4-goal game, scoring the first three Pittsburgh goals including 2 in the first period and one each in the second and third. Since joining the Penguins on April 12, Carter has 10 points in 13 games. Jared McCann had a goal and two assists for Pittsburgh. Brian Dumoulin, Sidney Crosby and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Penguins. Goaltender Tristan Jarry made 19 saves on 23 shots as his team allowed three or more goals for the third consecutive contest.
On the other side of the ice, Drake Caggiula scored twice for Buffalo while Tage Thompson and Jeff Skinner both also had goals. Unfortunately for Sabres goalie Michael Houser, his first career loss came in front of friends and family to a Penguins team he grew up cheering for. With the loss, the Sabres fell to 15-33-7 with one game remaining, and clinched last place overall in the NHL for the fourth time in eight years.
The Penguins improved to 36-16-3, and reclaimed first place in the East Division with a 2 point lead over the Washington Capitals. The Capitals have 3 games left, while the Pens will wrap up their season hosting Buffalo again on Saturday.