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Crosby, Malkin make Penguins third 100 point team

Pittsburgh Penguins vs New Jersey Devils

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 25: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins controls the puck in front of David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils on March 25, 2012 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)

With all due respect to Daniel Sedin and Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby might be well on his way to securing a second consecutive Art Ross Trophy if he didn’t miss significant portions of the last two seasons due to concussions. That’s certainly the impression you’re left with after seeing Crosby add another goal and assist on Sunday to give him 25 points in a mere 15 games. His efforts helped the Penguins bounce back from a nasty 8-4 loss on Saturday and earn a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Pittsburgh had four other players finish the game with two points each, including Malkin, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz, and Jordan Staal. Now that they’re at close to full strength, the Penguins’ ability to make opposing defenses and goaltenders look silly will be a primary point of concern for any team that faces them in the first round.

Pittsburgh has suffered just two losses in March and is the third team in the NHL to reach the 100 point mark. This victory puts them just one point shy of the New York Rangers as the two squads battle for first place in the Eastern Conference.

On the New Jersey Devils’ side, Zach Parise scored his 30th goal of the season and has now reached that mark in five of his last six campaigns. The exception was 2010-11 when he was limited to just 13 games. Parise is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer and will be one of the most sought after players if he decides to test the market.

For now though, he’ll be focused on trying to help the Devils extend their campaign for as long as possible. With Sunday’s loss, New Jersey is likely to finish the season in sixth place, but that’s not necessarily a terrible thing. The third seed is currently projected to go to the Florida Panthers, who have an inferior record to the Devils. Playing Florida might be preferable to playing a team like the Rangers, Penguins, or Flyers as the fifth seed.