Penguins beat Flyers as Malkin scores 50th

The Washington Capitals skated past the New York Rangers 4-1 Saturday (April 7) afternoon but still failed to claim the Southeast division crown. The Florida Panthers took that honor after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 to claim their first ever division title on the last day of the NHL regular season.Florida earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference and will now face the sixth seed New Jersey Devils, who skated by the Ottawa Senators 4-2.The Senators dropped to the eighth and final seed in the East with the loss and will now meet the Rangers.A Washington win and a Florida loss in regulation would have given the Capitals their fifth consecutive division title.Nicklas Backstrom put the Capitals up 4-0 in the second after goals by Alex Ovechkin, Mathieu Perreault and John Carlson in the opening period.Braden Holtby had a strong showing in net for the Capitals, making 35 saves with starting netminder Michal Neuvirth and primary back-up Tomas Vokoun injured.The win moved Washington up to the seventh spot in the East and they will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.Pittsburghs Evgeni Malkin claimed his second NHL points scoring title in four years, grabbing a goal (his 50th) and an assist to help the fourth-seeded Penguins top Philadelphia 4-2 in a match-up of teams who will meet in the postseason.Malkin finished the regular season with 109 points. Sidney Crosby also had a goal and assist for Pittsburgh giving him 37 points in his injury shortened season.The Phoenix Coyotes won their first ever Pacific division crown with their fifth consecutive victory, a 4-1 win over Minnesota. Taylor Pyatt scored twice for Phoenix, who will be the third seed in the Western Conference.