The return of Sidney Crosby for his first home game in more than two months saw the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Islanders 3-1 in Thursday's NHL action. Jarkko Ruutu had a goal and two assists for the Penguins, who won their sixth consecutive home game to reclaim leadership of the Eastern Conference. Crosby, who had missed 28 of the past 31 games with an ankle injury, didn't score. The reigning NHL scoring champion skated on a line with Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis - two players who weren't even on the team when Crosby was injured in January. They were acquired from Atlanta in a trade last month. Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2: In Boston, the home side's win eliminated Toronto from playoff contention. Tim Thomas made 30 saves while Phil Kessel and Peter Schaefer each had a goal and an assist for the Bruins, who moved into a tie with Philadelphia for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has now missed the playoffs for the third straight year - the first time it has done so since 1926-28. Rangers 3, Devils 2: In New York, the home team beat New Jersey for the seventh straight time this season. Nigel Dawes scored the tiebreaking goal while sliding on his back late in the third period. The Devils lost their fifth straight, descending into a tie with the Rangers for fifth in the Eastern Conference playoff race. New Jersey is on its longest losing streak since November 2000. Capitals 4, Lightning 3, OT: In Tampa, Florida, Washington beat Tampa Bay to stay within two points of playoff-qualifying eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Tomas Fleischmann scored with 2:33 left in overtime for the Capitals, who also trail Southeast Division-leading Carolina by two points. Sabres 4, Senators 3, SO: In Ottawa, Jason Pominville and Derek Roy scored in the shootout and Buffalo beat Ottawa. Paul Gaustad scored with 1:26 remaining in the third to send the game to overtime and assure the Sabres of a crucial standings point. The Sabres are five points behind Philadelphia and Boston – currently tied for seventh – for a berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Sharks 3, Stars 2, OT: In San Jose, California, San Jose inched closer to a Pacific Division title, snapping a six-game home losing streak against Dallas. Joe Thornton banked a power-play goal off the Dallas defense with 2:02 left in overtime, as the Sharks earned a point for the 17th consecutive game. They're six points ahead of second-placed Anaheim in the Pacific, with the two teams to meet Friday. San Jose needs just three points from its last five games to clinch the third division title in franchise history and a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The falling Stars lost for the eighth time in nine games and finally lost any mathematical chance of winning the division they led just a few weeks ago. They remain tied for fifth in the West. Thrashers 3, Panthers 2: In Sunrise, Florida, Atlanta snapped a five-game losing streak by downing Florida. Kings 4, Coyotes 0: In Los Angeles, Anze Kopitar had a goal and two assists as Los Angeles shut out Phoenix. __
