Overview
- Pittsburgh beat Ottawa 4-3 in a shootout Thursday in Canada’s capital, with rookie Ben Kindel netting the winner after Rickard Rakell scored twice and Erik Karlsson added a goal and two assists.
- Sidney Crosby left early in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return, and the team offered no postgame update on his status.
- The loss pushed Ottawa one point behind the Islanders for the second Eastern wild card, even after Linus Ullmark’s 35 saves and Drake Batherson’s two goals supported a depleted defense corps.
- Ilya Sorokin stopped 26 shots in the Islanders’ 2-1 win over Dallas, Bo Horvat scored his 30th, and the result moved New York back into the final wild-card spot.
- The Rangers were officially eliminated earlier this week after a 4-3 loss in Toronto, where Joseph Woll made 40 saves, underscoring how single-game goaltending swings are shaping late-March outcomes.