PENGUINS 5, SABRES 3: Captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists and Evgeni Malkin netted his career-high 48th tally to put an end to host Buffalo's five-game winning streak.

The Sabres' loss in regulation allowed reigning Stanley Cup champion Boston to clinch a postseason berth.

After being held without a point in his last two contests, Crosby has 20 during a 13-game point streak against the Sabres.

James Neal notched his 38th goal on the power play at 11:43 of the second period to give the Penguins a 3-2 lead. Crosby assisted on the play to collect his 600th career NHL point.

The captain picked up his third assist when Steve Sullivan backhanded the puck past Ryan Miller later in the frame to give Pittsburgh a 4-2 advantage.

Thomas Vanek responded with his 26th tally, but that's as close as Buffalo would get. Jordan Leopold and Tyler Ennis also scored for the Sabres, who fell to ninth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Malkin scored when he buried his own rebound in the first period.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff (lower body) didn't play. ... Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen (upper body) also sat out. ... With his assist on Neal's second-period goal, Crosby became the seventh youngest player in NHL history to record 600 points. ... With two assists, Penguins forward Pascal Dupuis extended his points streak to 13 games.