Penguins bounce back with 5-2 victory over Toronto

PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Penguins knew all too well what kind of opportunity they squandered Friday night in New York.

A victory over the New York Rangers would have lifted them into a wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, stretched their winning streak to five games and gotten their record to .500.

Their lackluster 4-2 loss at Madison Square Garden rendered all of that moot.

A shot at a bit of redemption came along just 24 hours later, and this time, the Penguins made the most of it.

They defeated Toronto, 5-2, at PPG Paints Arena to claim a share of the second wild card in the East, alongside Philadelphia and Tampa Bay, although both have played fewer games than the Penguins.

The victory raised the Penguins’ record to 12-13-4.

Michael Bunting scored the game-winner during a power play at 5:34 of the third, beating Toronto goalie Joseph Woll from the inner edge of the right circle.

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