PITTSBURGH — Kasperi Kapanen got his fourth goal in his last five games and the surging Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Teddy Blueger and Jake Guentzel also scored for the Penguins, who went 4-1 on their homestand to gain ground in the hyper-competitive East Division. Sidney Crosby’s empty-net goal with 32 seconds to go helped Pittsburgh escape.

Tristan Jarry finished with 33 saves — including a couple of scrambling stops on his belly in the final minutes to preserve a one-goal lead. He improved to 8-3 in his last 11 starts.

New York defenseman Jack Johnson — making his first appearance in Pittsburgh since the Penguins released him during the offseason — scored his first goal in more than a year. Ryan Strome picked up his ninth with a power-play score early in the third period. Keith Kinkaid made 23 stops while withstanding an early barrage but eventually wore down as the Rangers dropped their second straight.

The East Division is looking very much like a five-team race for four playoff spots as the truncated 56-game season nears its midway point. The Penguins hung in there during the opening month despite a slew of injuries to their defensemen and a slow start by Jarry, who became their No. 1 goalie when two-time Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray was traded in the offseason.