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Penguins boat raced in Tampa; playoff cushion slips

By Dan Kingerski, PGHHockeyNOW.com
Penguins Lightning Hockey Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Mitchell Chaffee (41) and Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Samuel Girard (49) battle along the roads during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) (Jason Behnken/AP)
By Dan Kingerski, PGHHockeyNOW.com

TAMPA, Fla. — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (38-22-16) just couldn’t help themselves. The Tampa Bay Lightning (47-22-6) will play a wide-open game, and the Penguins obliged. Tampa Bay was the much better team and pulled away when Anthony Cirelli completed the hat trick with an empty net goal for a 6-2 Tampa Bay win at Benchmark International Arena Thursday.

The loss ended the Penguins’ two-game winning streak. The Penguins also gave away a little bit of their playoff cushion as both the Ottawa Senators won (over the Buffalo Sabres), as did the Detroit Red Wings (over the Philadelphia Flyers). Those teams closed the wild-card race should it become relevant.

The Pittsburgh Penguins (38-22-16) just couldn’t help themselves. The Tampa Bay Lightning (47-22-6) will play a wide-open game, and the Penguins obliged. Tampa Bay was the much better team and pulled away when Anthony Cirelli completed the hat trick with an empty net goal for a 6-2 Tampa Bay win at Benchmark International Arena Thursday.

The loss ended the Penguins’ two game winning streak. The Penguins also gave away a little bit of their playoff cushion as both the Ottawa Senators won (over the Buffalo Sabres), as did the Detroit Red Wings (over the Philadelphia Flyers). Those teams closed the wild-card race should it become relevant.

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