PITTSBURGH (AP) — Matt Cullen is well-versed in the electricity that creeps into a locker room when the games dwindle down to a precious few and the playoffs loom. It’s one of the main reasons the veteran Pittsburgh Penguins center — at 42 the NHL’s oldest player — keeps coming back for more.When Cullen arrived at work Sunday for Pittsburgh’s pivotal showdown with Carolina http://www.officialknightsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-james-neal-jersey , the vibe was unmistakable and familiar. So was the result.Cullen scored a goal and added an assist and the Penguins took a major step toward locking up a postseason spot for a 13th consecutive year with a 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes.“We had a real playoff feel in here which is good and the energy in the building was great,” Cullen said. “It was a big game for our team. Obviously it’s a huge two points.”Pittsburgh sits at 97 points with three games left in the regular season. The Penguins need two points — be it a victory in any fashion, a pair of overtime losses or any single loss by Montreal — to extend the NHL’s longest active postseason streak.“I think we still have some really good opportunities in front of us,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan said. “Until that regular season is over, we’ve got to continue to grab points. We’ve got to make the playoffs first and foremost. Then we can look at the opportunities beyond. This was a big opportunity tonight.”Carolina’s bid to reach the postseason for the first time in a decade took a hit. The loss combined with Columbus’ win in Buffalo dropped the Hurricanes to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Carolina has 93 points, just one ahead of the Canadiens with a week to go.Jaccob Slavin’s power-play goal with just under eight minutes to go spoiled Murray’s bid for a shutout but by then the Penguins were firmly in control. Curtis McElhinney finished with 25 saves while losing for the third time in four starts. A day removed from a lopsided win in Philadelphia, the Hurricanes spent the first two periods running in place against Pittsburgh.“Just didn’t have any jump, I guess,” Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk said. “We were pretty flat. We didn’t make smart decisions. It cost us, I think.”Playing without injured stars Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, the Penguins relied on their depth and the kind of defensive grit they’ve lacked at times their at times wildly uneven season. Carolina came in leading the NHL in shots per game (34.5) and while it did manage to eventually get 38 on Murray, Pittsburgh blocked 23 others and clogged the ice in front of its goaltender.“We didn’t really get to our game until about halfway through and then it’s pretty much you’re just chasing it and it’s tough Jonathan Marchessault Jersey ,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said.Cullen and fourth-line mates Garrett Wilson and Adam Johnson provided the Penguins an early jolt. Wilson put the Penguins in front just past the midway point of the first period, crashing the net following a feed by Cullen from the corner and then jabbing at the puck until it emerged from the pile of bodies surrounding McElhinney and slid across the goal line.Cullen, playing in his 1,513th career game — one shy of tying Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman for 19th on the NHL’s all-time list — doubled Pittsburgh’s advantage late in the first period when he and Olli Maatta broke in on McElhinney 2-on-1. Cullen looked at Maatta, but opted to zip a wrist shot from the right circle that sailed over McElhinney’s right arm and into the net for his seventh of the season.Patric Hornqvist, who left briefly in the first period when his head hit the boards while getting checked by Carolina’s Dougie Hamilton, earned a measure of revenge 46 seconds into the third period when he collected a blind backhanded drop pass from Dominik Simon and beat McElhinney from the bottom of the right circle. The goal was Hornqvist’s 18th of the year and his first non-power play tally since Jan. 6.Carolina mustered little in response.The Hurricanes didn’t reach double digits on the shot counter until the middle of the second period. When Carolina did find space, Murray either came up with the stop or the Hurricanes couldn’t get the bounce they needed.NOTES: Hurricanes D Calvin de Haan exited with an upper-body injury after getting pushed to the ice by Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel. De Haan will return to Carolina for tests. … Letang, Malkin, F Zach Aston-Reese and D Chad Ruhwedel all skated Sunday morning, but remain out with injuries. … The Hurricanes went 1 for 2 on the power play. The Penguins were 0 for 1. … The teams split the season series 2-2. … Johnson picked up the first two assists of his career for Pittsburgh.UP NEXTHurricanes: Visit Toronto on Tuesday.Penguins: Begin a home-and-home series with the Red Wings on Tuesday in Detroit. NEW YORK (AP) — Successful in his only previous shootout attempt, Tony DeAngelo tried the same approach. And he got the same result.DeAngelo scored the decisive goal in the seventh round of the shootout and the New York Rangers rallied from two goals down in the third period to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Wednesday night.“I kind of did the same move as last time Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey ,” said DeAngelo, who beat Jaroslav Halak with a forehand from the right side into the top right corner. “To come back, pick up two points coming back down two in the third is a big win for us.”Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Filip Chytil scored for New York and Alexandar Georgiev finished with 27 saves. The Rangers won for the second time in five games (2-2-1) after a stretch in which they won four of five.“We gave them too many opportunities in the second period,” New York coach David Quinn said. “We talked about we just go to move past that, we can’t let that bad second period get in the way of the third period. … We did a pretty good job in the third.”Danton Heinen, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, Brad Marchand had two assists, and Halak stopped 36 shots. The Bruins, who squandered a 3-1 lead in the second, had a two-game winning streak end, but earned a point for the fifth straight game (2-0-3).Zibanejad and Marchand each scored in the third round of the tiebreaker. After DeAngelo gave the Rangers the edge Nate Schmidt Jersey , they won it when David Krejci missed on the Bruins’ last attempt. That improved New York to 6-2 in shootouts this season.Each team had chances as they alternated odd-man rushes in the 3-on-3 overtime, with Halak making a sensational save to deny Zibanejad with 1:06 left. Halak earlier thwarted Chytil in front. On the other end, Georgiev stopped Sean Kuraly’s tip try with 1:23 to go.“We let it slip in the third,” Bergeron said. “That’s where it was played out. That game shouldn’t be going to overtime.”The Rangers pulled to 3-2 at 9:24 of the third when Jimmy Vesey sent a centering pass in front and Hayes poked it past Halak for his 12th.Chytil then tied it on a power play, knocking in the rebound of Pavel Buchnevich’s slap shot from the left side with 7:19 left for his 10th.“We got the much-needed goals and kept working,” Zibanejad said. “Had some good chances in overtime, and finished it off in a shootout. It was nice.”Boston was down 1-0 after one period, but took the lead with three goals about 4 1/2 minutes apart in the second.First, Matt Grzelyck’s slap shot from the left point deflected off Heinen and past Georgiev with 9:23 left. It was Heinen’s seventh of the season.Pastrnak then put Boston ahead with his 31st, deflecting a pass in front by Krejci into the right side with 8:11 remaining.Bergeron, who played in his 1,000th game Tuesday night in a home victory over the Islanders http://www.officialknightsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-oscar-dansk-jersey , gave the Bruins a two-goal lead, tipping Torey Krug’s pass in front for his 19th with 4:49 remaining. It was Boston’s third power-play goal in 17 chances over the last six games.The Rangers outshot the Bruins 12-8 in the first period.Zibanejad gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from between the circles with 2:15 left in the opening period. It was his 22nd goal of the season, and 11th in the last 12 games.NOTES: Pastrnak has six goals and 13 points in his last 10 games. … Marchand has 11 assists and 14 points in his last nine games. … The Bruins have lost nine of the last 10 meetings (1-7-2) against the Rangers. … New York won the first meeting this season, 3-2 at Boston on Jan. 19. The teams conclude the season series March 27 at Boston. … Rangers traded F Cody McLeod to Nashville earlier in the day in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft. Vinni Lettieri was recalled from Hartford of the AHL to fill the vacated roster spot. … Zibanejad has totaled 19 points in the last 12 games. … Zuccarello, who had an assist on Zibanejad’s first-period score, extended his point streak to nine games, with 10 assists and 15 points in the stretch. … The Rangers will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1994 Stanley Cup championship team on Friday before the game against Carolina.UP NEXTBruins: Host Los Angeles on Saturday to open a stretch of three straight at home.Rangers: Host Carolina on Friday night in the fourth of a five-game homestand.