PENGUINS 5, RANGERS 2: Evgeni Malkin scored his 49th goal of the season and Pittsburgh beat New York for a fourth straight time while securing home ice for at least the first round of the playoffs.

Chris Kunitz, Tyler Kennedy and Richard Park scored and Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves for the Penguins, who have assured themselves the No. 4 seed in the East. Kris Letang added an empty-netter.

Malkin’s tally for the 4-1 lead in the third period was his 107th point of the season, all but clinching the NHL scoring title in what may turn out to be an MVP campaign.

Brandon Dubinsky and Brian Boyle each recorded a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who have already locked up the conference’s top seed for the first time since 1993-94 – their last Stanley Cup-winning squad.

After Kunitz opened the scoring with his 25th goal just 1:11 into the game, Dubinsky answered back nearly three minutes later. Boyle skated up the right side and sent a backhand on net that deflected off the pads of Fleury. Dubinsky cleaned up the loose puck with a wrist shot into the upper corner.

Kennedy broke the deadlock and put the Penguins ahead for good at 8:27 of the first, scoring off a long rebound with a snap shot from a tough angle. Park then made it 3-1 at 5:11 of the second on a wrister for his seventh tally.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Penguins were without LW James Neal because of a lower-body injury. He is second on the team with 81 points. … Pittsburgh’s Pascal Dupuis had an assist to extend his point streak to 16 games – the longest mark in the NHL this season. … Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist was given the night off as he deals with soreness in his right forearm and hand.