Penguins move into playoff spot after OT win vs. Red Wings

The Pittsburgh Penguins moved into the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot on Thursday night.

The Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 in overtime at Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists and defenseman Erik Karlsson scored the winner 1:40 into OT. Crosby got the 1,000th assist of his career on that marker and now has 1,591 points, which moves him past Phil Esposito (1,590) and into 10th place on the all-time NHL career points list.

The Red Wings' Lucas Raymond had three goals, his second career hat trick, and added an assist as Detroit rallied from a 5-3 third-period deficit.

Pittsburgh now has 86 points, one more than the Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers. Farther up the table, the Islanders (89 points) solidified their hold on third place in the Metropolitan Division, and the accompanying playoff position.

The Islanders also needed the extra session to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Kyle Palmieri scored 1:17 into overtime. 

Also on Thursday night, the Capitals lost 4-2 to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in Buffalo and the Flyers snapped an eight-game game losing streak with a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. 

All of the teams in the playoff race have three games remaining with the exception of Philadelphia, which has two left.