Penguins/Devils Recap: Pens clinch playoffs in 5-2 victory over New Jersey

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 09: Egor Chinakhov #59 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates his goal during the second period of the game against the New Jersey Devils on April 9, 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Graessle/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Pregame

The Penguins are without the services of Connor Dewar (undisclosed lower body injury, day-to-day) so Avery Hayes slots back into the lineup. The Penguins do get Stuart Skinner back from his eye injury and he starts.

Tonight's lineup in New Jersey ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sEZDb2dV50

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 9, 2026

Their opponents, the Devils, are working with these players and lines for the night, sans Luke Hughes who was shut down for the rest of this season to get ready for next year.

Locked in for the Pens. pic.twitter.com/p9bTMo2vNp

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 9, 2026

First period

Pittsburgh strikes first 4:53 into the game, it’s Bryan Rust with his 29th goal of the season. Egor Chinakhov freezes everyone from the middle of the ice looking for his big shot but he dishes off to Rust.

THE MILKSHAKE MAN DELIVERS 👏

Score half off Rusty's shake at @MShakeFactory tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/qdmda8CAjZ

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 9, 2026

The Devils get the first power play of the game when Anthony Mantha clears the puck over the glass.

The teams skate back and forth for rest of the period, New Jersey catches Pittsburgh pinching a couple of times for odd man rushes the other way, nothing Skinner can’t handle.

We sure this is a road game!??

🔊🆙 for the "STUUUUUUUUUU!" after this stop ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ar2AJlIo9y

— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) April 9, 2026

The Pens get a flurry of chances near the net at the end of the period but Sidney Crosby can’t quite get the puck in.

Good start, shots are 15-10 PIT after one period and they’re out in front.

Second period

Game ambles on, Pittsburgh has a 5-1 shot advantage in the first 10 minutes of the period and then New Jersey scores on their second shot of the period. Paul Cotter hangs behind the Pens’ defense, an elevated pass springs him on a breakaway. Cotter makes some moves, dekes to the backhand and tucks it past Skinner.

Cotter on the breakaway 😤 pic.twitter.com/BbluyV6JGD

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 10, 2026

Pittsburgh answers back within two minutes to re-take the lead. It’s their turn for an odd-man rush up the ice, Erik Karlsson makes a pass to Evgeni Malkin who quickly dishes over for Tommy Novak. Novak makes no mistake quickly whipping a puck to the top shelf. 2-1 game.

TOP SHELF TOMMY ‼️ pic.twitter.com/jgE2IHncJ9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026

Eight seconds after that goal, the Pens strike again. Ryan Shea does basically what NJ did to score their goal when he lifts a puck way up in the air and lets Chinakhov skate into it. Chinakhov catches up to it and quickly hacks the rolling puck past Jake Allen. 3-1 game, out of nowhere.

EGOR BRINGING THE ENERGY 🔋 pic.twitter.com/jfBreL7soH

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026

Jack Hughes gets in on the goal-scoring action, winding up around the zone and snapping a shot that deflects off Parker Wotherspoon in front and dips into the net. 3-2

He makes it look easy. pic.twitter.com/wfMuIP6G1a

— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 10, 2026

Game opened up a bit in the second, the Penguins are able to leave it the same way they entered: up by a goal.

Third period

New Jersey gets a good chance and Skinner makes a big save. That proves to be huge because Pittsburgh finds the next goal soon after, while in the midst of a line change. Chinakhov makes a great pass over for Crosby, he can’t score on the backhand but throws it back to try and bank it off the goalie. Then Malkin roars off the bench and crashes the net to swoop in and take care of it. Big swing to extend the lead to 4-2.

GENO MACHINOOOO 💪 pic.twitter.com/Z0GopvXm3R

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 10, 2026

Elmer Soderblom gets tripped to the point where the refs can’t ignore it and they make their first penalty call of the game besides the automatic call on Mantha from the first. No dice on the power play.

The Devils pull Allen with 3:45 to go for an extra attacker. Crosby and Malkin miss the empty net, Erik Karlsson does not. That’s the dagger to set the final score at 5-2 .

Some thoughts

• This game wasn’t quite preseason/exhibition pace but there wasn’t a ton of players finishing their checks or going excessively hard physically at one another. Hits were officially just 11-7 in favor of NJD, that 11 looks mighty generous too. There were hardly any post-whistle scrums (aside from Noel Acciari and Nico Hischier getting cross with each other at the end of the second period). The Devils are one foot into the offseason and the Penguins were just fine at not making the game any harder than it needed to be. Pittsburgh only blocked nine shots as a team, partially because of how the game unfolded and partially because it wasn’t needed. There only one penalty called all game (considering the Mantha infraction was an automatically enforced rule violation).
• That makes it tough to have a lot of thoughts or observations, it’s not like both teams were completely phoning it in or going through the motions but the intensity naturally wasn’t raging either. Lots of forwards cheating on defense and hanging back for home run passes on both sides, almost like the most skilled beer league game you’ve ever seen. Just kinda a game that needed to happen because it was already on the schedule.
• It was good to see Skinner show no ill effects from his eye injury. Definitely had to see the puck and plays getting tested early with some very good chances. He got beat on a breakaway but stopped his fair share of odd-man rushes and also made a big save up 3-2 in the third period, just before his team scored and really put the game out of reach. Situtationally the team just needs that steady play and making that one key save, Skinner did his part of that tonight.
• Tommy Novak came into the game on a 12-game goal drought as practically the only Penguin forward who isn’t red hot right now, he made that a thing of the past. Always nice to see that end, Novak tends to get his goals and points in bunches so who knows, maybe he’ll be the next one to get on a hot streak.
• Getting hot hasn’t been a problem for Chinakhov who put three more points in the bank with a goal and an assist. With his wheels and shot, he can do it all.
• The off days look like they treated Malkin well. He had a lot of burst and energy out there, resulting in a multi-point game (1G+1A). Fittingly enough, Crosby (2A) and Karlsson (1G+1A) also ended up with multiple points on the playoff clinching night for all the big boys to double dip and bring the production.
• There wasn’t a huge celebration for the team on the ice, a fairly business-like acknowledgement of the goalie and each other and then right off the ice. Doesn’t look like a team that’s content simply to be qualified for the dance, as it should be really. They’ve had a great year and have earned the right to be happy but today isn’t any sort of finish line for them.
• As of press time, the Flyers are losing 5-2 in the third period to Detroit. Should Philadelphia go onto lose that game, Pittsburgh will secure the second spot in the division and be able to totally treat these final three games of the regular season as a tune up for what comes next.

And what comes next, for the first time since 2022, will be postseason hockey in Western Pennsylvania. The Pens punched their ticket in typical fashion by scoring a ton tonight and riding that offense to a victory.