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NHL: Pittsburgh 8, Carolina 3

PITTSBURGH, April 27 (UPI) -- James Neal had a hat trick and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists Saturday in the Pittsburgh Penguins' 8-3 rout of Carolina to end the regular season.

Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 27 stops for the top-seeded Penguins, who snapped a two-game losing streak and ended the regular season with a 36-12-0 record.

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The Pens will open the playoffs against either Ottawa or the New York Islanders, depending on the outcome of the Senators' final game Sunday against Boston.

Keith Westgarth notched pair of goals for the Hurricanes, who concluded a disappointing 2012-13 campaign with a 19-25-4 mark.

Tuomo Ruutu scored and Justin Peters was torched for all eight Pittsburgh goals on 35 shots.

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