BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Penguins leapfrogged the Islanders for second place in the East Division with a 3-2 win over the Sabres on Saturday at KeyBank Center.
Jared McCann opened the scoring in the first period with a shot from below the goal line that went off the backside of Sabres goaltender Dustin Tokarski and into the net for his 12th goal of the season.
Evan Rodrigues extended the Penguins' lead to 2-0 early in the second period when he capitalized on an offensive zone turnover from the Sabres. It was his sixth goal of the year and his second of the season against the Sabres, his former team.
The Sabres got on the board less than a minute later when Jason Zucker turned the puck over in the Penguins' zone and Tage Thompson put one past Tristan Jarry with a shot from the slot.
Bryan Rust regained the two-goal lead for the Penguins in the second period with a power play goal, redirecting a shot from Sidney Crosby. It was his 17th goal of the season, tying Crosby for the second-most on the team behind Jake Guentzel.
The Sabres got their first power play in the third period when Mark Jankowski was hit with a questionable holding call. Casey Mittelstadt took advantage of the opportunity early in the power play to cut the Penguins' lead back to one goal.
Jarry made 27 saves on 29 shots in the win. Tokarski made 38 saves on 41 shots.
The Sabres' loss officially eliminated them from playoff contention.
The game was a joint Pride Night game for the Penguins and Sabres, the first ever collaborative Pride Night in the NHL. Both teams wore special jerseys and used Pride Tape on their sticks during warmups. The jerseys, sticks, and some other items are being auctioned off here. Proceeds benefit You Can Play, Pittsburgh Tigers, GLYS Western New York, "Growing LGBTQ+ Youth Support" and Pride Center of Western New York.
