Troy Brouwer bit the hand that once fed him, and it helped the St. Louis Blues eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks from the playoffs. Brouwer scored at 8:31 of the third period to lift the Blues to a 3-2 win against the Blackhawks in Game 7 of their Western Conference First Round series at Scottrade Center on Monday. It's the first time the Blues have advanced to the second round since 2012. They will play the Dallas Stars.
Brouwer, who won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, redirected Robby Fabbri's pass and the puck hit the post. He whiffed on a second try before backhanding a shot past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford to help St. Louis to its first Game 7 victory since the first round of the 1999 playoffs against the Coyotes. The goal was Brouwer's first in 24 playoff games, dating to May 8, 2013, when he played for the Washington Capitals against the New York Rangers. Brouwer played for the Blackhawks from 2006-11.
Fabbri made the initial play in the neutral zone when he knocked Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson off the puck and turned it around going the other way. Center Paul Stastny passed the puck to the left hash marks for Fabbri, who sent it to Brouwer at the top of the crease.
St. Louis goalie Brian Elliott made 31 saves in the first Game 7 start of his NHL career. Brent Seabrook nearly tied it for the Blackhawks with 3:30 remaining, but his shot through traffic hit each goal post. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo was there to clean up the crease in front of Elliott and backhand the puck out of danger. Jori Lehtera and Colton Parayko scored in the first period for the Blues.
The Blackhawks, who were eliminated in the first round for the first time since the Coyotes eliminated them in 2012, got goals from Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw. Crawford made 23 saves; he's 2-3 in Game 7 in his NHL career.
Chicago is the first defending Stanley Cup champion to lose in the first round since the Boston Bruins in 2012. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville, who was coach of the Blues for their previous Game 7 on home ice, in 2000.
Lehtera scored at 1:00 of the first when he tipped Jay Bouwmeester's shot from the left point to give the Blues a 1-0 lead. It tied Martin Rucinsky for fastest goal to begin a Game 7 in Blues history; Rucinsky scored his against the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2003 playoffs. Lehtera is the first Blues player to score his first NHL playoff goal in Game 7 since Ron Schock on May 5, 1968.
Parayko made it 2-0 when he scored his first NHL playoff goal at 13:43. Alexander Steen pinched behind the net and got the puck to Patrik Berglund, who fed Parayko for a big slap shot from the blue line.
Chicago had an answer late in the first. The Blackhawks broke out after an ill-advised pass by Lehtera in the offensive zone for Jaden Schwartz, who fell to the ice. Richard Panik fed Hossa, who used Blues defenseman Carl Gunnarsson as a screen and beat Elliott high to the short side from the top of the right circle with 1:30 remaining in the period. The Blackhawks tied it on the power play in the second period when Shaw scored his fourth goal of the playoffs. After Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was called for hooking Marcus Kruger, Shaw’s cross-crease pass to Hossa caromed off Bouwmeester and past Elliott at 3:20.
Once Brouwer scored, the Blues felt the Blackhawks would have a big push. They’d witnessed it in Game 6, when they lost 6-3 after leading 3-1.
Hawks Quotes
Joel Quenneville: "Tough way to go out. We had the perfect setup there and we did exactly what we’re not supposed to do, or what we’re unaccustomed to doing, and it’s in our net and it’s game, set, match. Huge disappointment for me. ... In first rounds, that felt like the conference finals."
Patrick Kane: "We fought back to get it to 2-2. Obviously, they got that goal there in the third and you’re trying to play catch-up again. Yeah, maybe one too many times in the hole."
Blues Quotes
Troy Brouwer: "That was the ugliest goal I've ever scored and probably the most timely goal I've ever scored. I was joking with [Fox Sports Midwest color analyst Darren Pang] that if I didn't put that one in, I might quit hockey. I just tried to stay with it; knowing the magnitude of the game, knowing how everything's been going. We'd been having great opportunities but haven't been able to put them in."
Alex Pietrangelo: "I just got back as quick as I could. I got it at the last second. A half a second later and it's in our net."
Ken Hitchcock: "Every game was just packed with a sense of urgency and emotion. Every game felt like its own sudden-death game. It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun to coach in it, to play in it, to strategize in it. It was a lot of fun. It was real eye-opening what a championship team can do like them when they can dial it up. You find yourself on the bench just in awe with some of the things they do. We had to find a way to battle through it. We knew that there was going to be a push. It came and came hard. You play in a series like this, you see why that team has won three [Stanley] Cups. I'm sure leaving Game 6, they probably thought they had us cracked. They pushed us back hard and we had no answer for Game 6. We came back and had an answer tonight."
Jori Lehtera: "Ville Nieminen once told me, 'If you want pizza, you go to Pizza Hut.' 'If you want to score goals, you go to the net.'"
Other Results
Anaheim @ Nashville 1-3 - Monday, April 25, 2016 - Series Tied 3-3
The Nashville Predators defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 in Game 6 of their Western Conference First Round series at Bridgestone Arena on Monday to force the first Game 7 in their history. Mattias Ekholm, James Neal and Shea Weber scored for Nashville, which got 26 saves from Pekka Rinne. The win was the Predators' first in three games at home in the series. Ekholm gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 8:10 of the second period on a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. He took a pass from forward Calle Jarnkrok, circled behind the net, and shot through traffic to beat Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen for his second goal. Neal made it 2-0 at 17:45 of the second on a shot from below the left faceoff circle. Center Ryan Johansen led a 2-on-1 rush up the ice and passed the puck to Neal, who beat Andersen for his second goal.
Ducks center Ryan Kesler scored a power-play goal to make it 2-1 with 13.9 seconds remaining in the second. Defenseman Cam Fowler’s shot from the point snuck between Rinne’s pads, and Kesler got to the rebound for his third goal. Weber scored an empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining to make it 3-1. The Ducks have been eliminated from the playoffs by losing Game 7 at home the past three seasons. Predators forward Craig Smith returned to the lineup after missing the past two games with a lower-body injury. He had not played since he was injured in the first period of Game 3. Nashville forward Cody Bass left the game with a lower-body injury in the first period after crashing into the boards on an attempted hit. Andersen made 23 saves.
Nashville @ Anaheim 2-1 - Wednesday, April 27, 2016 - Preds Wins Series 4-3
The Anaheim Ducks were on the wrong side of their own repeating history at Honda Center on Wednesday. The Nashville Predators made their own. The Predators handed the Ducks their fourth straight Game 7 loss, all at home, winning 2-1 to take their Western Conference First Round series. Colin Wilson and Paul Gaustad scored first-period goals, and Pekka Rinne made 36 saves for the Predators, who were playing the first Game 7 in franchise history. Nashville won a playoff series for the first time since 2012, when the Predators eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Nashville will visit the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round on Friday. The Ducks fell to 2-6 all-time in Game 7s and are 1-4 at Honda Center. They lost Game 7 at home to the Red Wings in 2013, the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 and the Chicago Blackhawks last year. Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau is 1-7 in Game 7s with the Ducks and Washington Capitals.
But the Ducks felt this loss stung more than the first three. Despite the two early goals by Nashville, Anaheim controlled play for most of the game. The Ducks outshot the Predators 28-10 in the final two periods and had odd bounces and open looks that will haunt them through the summer. Ryan Kesler cut Nashville's lead to 2-1 at 1:45 of the third period when he one-timed a feed by Jakob Silfverberg from the low slot past Rinne for a power-play goal. Anaheim outshot the Predators 15-4 in the third period; with 7:19 left, defenseman Hampus Lindholm's shot skipped off Rinne and hit the crossbar, but Nashville defenseman Roman Josi managed to clear the loose puck out of the crease.
Rinne also made two quick saves on Corey Perry with 1:15 remaining. Wilson gave Nashville a 1-0 lead 6:19 into the first period when his backhand shot off a broken play went off the crossbar and over the shoulder of goaltender Frederik Andersen. It was Wilson's second goal and fifth point of the series. Gaustad made it 2-0 at 15:53 when he redirected Shea Weber's wrist shot from the right point past Andersen. The goal stood after a video review determined that Gaustad's stick was not over the crossbar. The Ducks have been outscored 9-1 in the first period in their past four Game 7s. Jamie McGinn had the best chance for Anaheim in the second period, but his shot ticked the crossbar and went over a wide-open net. It was one of several quality chances for Anaheim in the second period, when the Ducks outshot Nashville 13-6 but couldn't capitalize.
Andersen made 18 saves for Anaheim, which made its earliest playoff exit since 2013.
For 40 minutes, the Dallas Stars appeared poised to coast into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an easy Game 6 win against the Minnesota Wild. Then the third period happened. Dallas scored three goals in the first period but had to survive a four-goal third period by Minnesota and a last-minute video review on what could have been the tying goal to earn a series-clinching 5-4 win in the Western Conference First Round at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday. Dallas won the best-of-7 series 4-2. The Stars will play the winner of the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks series in the second round. The Blues and Blackhawks play Game 7 in St. Louis on Monday.
The Wild trailed 4-0 after two periods but got within one goal and pulled Dubnyk for an extra attacker with 1:45 left. Minnesota nearly tied it off a scramble with 33 seconds remaining, but a video review confirmed the call on the ice that the puck had not completely crossed the goal line. The Stars iced the puck twice after the no-goal call, but the Wild never threatened again. A goal by Jamie Benn with 23.7 seconds left in the second period gave the Stars a 4-0 lead; for the second time in as many intermissions, the Wild were booed off the ice by their own fans.
Minnesota, which used Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" as its goal song in honor of the singer, who passed away on Thursday, nearly wore out the soundtrack in the third period. Jared Spurgeon scored a power-play goal at 3:48, and Jonas Brodin followed 16 seconds later to start the comeback. Spurgeon scored again on the power play at 8:39 to get the Wild within 4-3 with plenty of time remaining. The first two goals were the fastest in Wild postseason history.
The Wild nearly tied it moments later when Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen turned the puck over to Jason Zucker at the top of the crease, only to see it roll off Zucker's stick with the net open. Instead, the Stars, as they'd done all series, took advantage of a fortuitous bounce of their own when defenseman Alex Goligoski's point shot hit traffic in front and popped in the air, landing in the feet of Wild goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who lost sight of the puck. Forward Charlie Coyle dove to try and keep it out, but Dubnyk swept the pick into his own net with the back of his right leg at 10:28, giving Dallas a 5-3 lead.
Even that stroke of bad luck didn't deter Minnesota's comeback attempt.
Jason Pominville finished off a rebound near the left post of a shot from the point by Brodin to get Minnesota back within a goal with 4:47 remaining.
At that point, the Xcel Energy Center crowd needed no prodding from the goal song.
Jason Spezza scored a goal and had three assists, and Benn finished with a goal and two assists for the Stars, who got 25 saves from Lehtonen. Sharp and John Klingberg also scored for Dallas. Goligoski's wacky goal midway through the third period turned out to be the game-winner.
Dallas took advantage of an early 5-on-3 power play when Spezza feathered a point-to-point pass to Klingberg for a one-timer from the top of the left circle that beat Dubnyk at 5:56 of the first period. Spezza made it 2-0 at 9:07 when he finished off a rebound of a Mattias Janmark shot.
Sharp capped a 2-on-1 break with Benn at 18:11 by beating Dubnyk with a snap shot to the blocker side just inside the left post for his third goal of the series. Benn scored his fourth of the playoffs late in the second before the third-period fireworks. Benn scored at least one point in all six games of the series and is one game shy of tying a franchise record for most consecutive games with at least a point to start a postseason; Dino Ciccarelli scored in the first seven games in 1983, when the franchise was known as the Minnesota North Stars.
Stars Quotes
Lindy Ruff: "That first 45 minutes, this building was dead. There was nothing going on. We were above them, we made them come through us, we maybe gave them a handful of chances.
"That last 15 was interesting. For 45 minutes we played just a model game. I wasn't a big fan of the [penalty] call against [Antoine] Roussel [that led to Spurgeon's goal] in a game like that, but that gave them a little life. We made a mistake on their second one, and then it was game on."
Patrick Sharp: "We talked about momentum so much in the playoffs. [Ahead] 4-0 [with] 20 minutes left, a power-play goal and then the building gets into it, they get excited and we've got a tough time stopping it, but we did. We won the game and we're happy about it. Lot of respect for what Minnesota can do on their side. It was a tough series, but we're excited we're moving on."
Wild Quotes
Ryan Suter: "When you're in the middle of it, you're not even thinking about [how crazy it is], you're just trying to get that next one and just build off the crowd. It's just too bad we couldn't get that last one."
Devan Dubnyk: "It seemed like at least one every game. I guess that's why you throw pucks to the net. But that was a tough time to get a bounce like that. The way the guys worked in the third period, I'm just proud to be back there and a part of that. Right to the end, we still managed to get within one and almost score there. That makes you feel sick to have to lose a game and a series on a bouncer like that."
John Torchetti: "I'd rather be lucky than good, because that happens a lot. They're a great shot-attempt team, and they're committed to that. That's something moving forward for our team, we need way more commitment to that, and that net-front presence we've been talking about for however long I've been here. That's the difference."
Other Results
Washington @ Philadelphia 1-0 - Caps Win Series 4-2
Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal in the Capitals' 1-0 victory of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. The Capitals won the best-of-7 series 4-2 and will play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round. The Penguins defeated the New York Rangers in five games in their first-round series. Washington and Pittsburgh will meet in the playoffs for the ninth time since 1991. Pittsburgh has won seven of the prior eight series. Braden Holtby made 26 saves for his second shutout of the series and his 20th career win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, tying Olaf Kolzig for most in Capitals history.Backstrom was in the penalty box for four minutes in the second period of a scoreless game after being called for high-sticking Flyers forward Ryan White at 4:25. Five seconds later, teammate Matt Niskanen joined him when he was called for hooking, giving the Flyers a two-minute, two-man advantage. The Flyers had three shots on goal during the 5-on-3 but Holtby stopped them all. The power play ended with 30 seconds left in Backstrom's penalty when White was called for holding the stick. The Capitals had a short power play, and four seconds after it ended Backstrom one-timed a Marcus Johansson pass from the right circle high over a lunging Neuvirth. Neuvirth made 28 saves for the Flyers, who had won two straight after falling behind 3-0 in the series. Neuvirth replaced Steve Mason in goal to start Game 4, and allowed two goals on 105 shots in the final three games. That includes a 44-save shutout in Game 5 when the Flyers won 2-0 despite 11 shots on goal.
In Neuvirth's three starts the Flyers scored four goals, and one was an empty-netter. They scored six goals in six games and went 1-for-24 on the power play.
Captain Claude Giroux had two shots on goal in Game 6. He led the Flyers in scoring during the regular season but was held to one point in six games. Wayne Simmonds, who led the Flyers with 32 goals, had two assists. He had four shots on goal in Game 6. The Flyers had one last push in the final 1:35 of the third period with Neuvirth pulled for an extra attacker. They had two shots on goal but Holtby stopped Shayne Gostisbehere's point shot and Voracek's attempt on the rebound. Holtby didn't have much work during the series, but when he was needed he came through. That the Capitals had lost back-to-back games in regulation in Games 4 and 5, something they hadn't done during the regular season, allowed a bit of doubt to creep into their mind. But their win Sunday gives them confidence moving forward. It will be the second time Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will face each other in the postseason. The Penguins defeated the Capitals in seven games in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals. In that series, won by the Penguins in seven games, Ovechkin had eight goals and six assists; Crosby had eight goals and five assists. Ovechkin and Crosby also each had their first career postseason hat tricks in Game 2.
Florida @ NY Islanders 1-2 2OT - Fish Sticks Win Series 4-2
New York Islanders captain John Tavares came up big when it mattered most for a franchise starving for a winner. Tavares scored his second goal of the game 10:41 into the second overtime to give the Islanders a series-clinching 2-1 victory against the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round and their first playoff series victory since 1993. Tavares took a wrist shot low in the right circle that was initially stopped by Roberto Luongo but he picked up the rebound and curled the net before scoring his fifth of the playoffs. The Islanders had lost their past eight playoff series. The Islanders will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. The last time the Islanders and Lightning faced each other in the playoffs was in the 2004 Eastern Conference First Round. The Lightning won the series in five games on the way to winning their only Stanley Cup. Luongo, who finished with 49 saves, made 18 saves after regulation before allowing the winner to Tavares. Tavares tied the game 1-1 with 53.2 seconds remaining in the third period. With goalie Thomas Greiss pulled for an extra attacker, Nikolay Kulemin took a pass from Nick Leddy low in the right circle and took a shot that Luongo failed to control in his pads at the right post. The puck squirted out and remained in the crease behind Luongo when Tavares skated in from the slot and scored. Left wing Jonathan Huberdeau scored his first career playoff goal to give the Panthers to a 1-0 lead with 1:02 remaining in the first period. Greiss made 41 saves, including 12 after regulation. The Islanders won three games in overtime in the series, including the last two in double overtime. In the first overtime, Luongo made 15 saves and Greiss stopped eight. Greiss stopped a slap shot from the point by Aleksander Barkov with 10:18 left. Luongo denied a wrist shot from the left circle by Brock Nelson off a 2-on-1 with Shane Prince with 7:23 left. Islanders Game 5 hero Alan Quine nearly ended the game with 2:51 remaining when his wrist shot from the left circle just deflected off the glove of Luongo and into the right corner. The Panthers have lost their last eight playoff overtime games, dating to a 1-0 triple-overtime loss against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers killed a penalty to Huberdeau for cross-checking with 7:23 remaining in the third. Luongo made three saves on the Islanders advantage, stopping Tavares and a two quick attempts by Brock Nelson. Luongo later denied a quick wrist shot by Kulemin with his blocker despite being screened with 5:14 left in the third. With the exception of the last-minute, empty-net goal by Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov in Game 2, every game in the series was decided by a goal. Luongo made seven saves in the first period when the Islanders generated as much pressure 5-on-5 as they have at any point in the series. The Islanders held a 26-14 advantage in shot attempts in the first, including 11 that were blocked. Greiss, who made 47 saves in a 2-1 double overtime win in Game 5 on Friday, stopped Kulikov on a rebound with 4:43 left in the second to keep the Islanders within a goal. Florida forward Jaromir Jagr played in his 208th career playoff game to tie Wayne Gretzky for 16th on the all-time list. The Panthers were without center Nick Bjugstad, who sustained an upper-body injury in the first overtime of a 2-1 loss in Game 5 at BB&T Center on Friday. Islanders forward Josh Bailey played 4:24 of the first but did not return.
Roberto Luongo: "When he went to shoot the first one, I took a step out and challenged more, and I think it ricocheted off our guys' stick so I kind of made the save but I was off balance. I wasn't able to recover for the wraparound so you have to give him credit. [Tavares is] a [heck] of a player and he pretty much won that series by himself."
Jaromir Jagr: "It was close; I thought we got it there when there was one minute left. [Vincent Trocheck] was close to scoring into an empty net. But maybe a loss like this is what this team needs to move higher next year."
It took a while, but the moves made by Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman during the past year paid big dividends at United Center on Saturday. Led by a group of players Bowman has acquired through trades since Chicago won the 2015 Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks rallied from a two-goal deficit to defeat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 in Game 6 and tie their Western Conference First Round series at three victories apiece. Game 7 is at Scottrade Center on Monday.
The defending champions had to be ready for anything in Game 6, including a three-goal barrage by the Blues in a 4:48 span of the first period that gave St. Louis a 3-1 lead after Ladd scored 3:47 into the game. The Blackhawks regrouped during the first intermission, then scored three goals of their own during a dominant second period that put a charge into the building. Chicago outshot St. Louis 19-6 in the period and got goals from Artem Anisimov, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dale Weise to retake the lead for good. Andrew Shaw, who returned from a one-game suspension, scored on a power play at 16:53 of the third to make it 5-3 and Marian Hossa scored into an empty net with 2:20 left.
Corey Crawford allowed three straight goals to Scottie Upshall, Alex Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko in the first, but stopped all last 17 shots he faced in the final two periods and finished with 25 saves. Brian Elliott allowed five goals on 35 shots for the Blues, who had won three straight games in Chicago and were looking to win four in a row for the first time in franchise history. Instead, they're just looking to survive a series they've had two straight chances to end.
How do they plan to stem the Blackhawks' tide?
They just haven't been good enough in the past two games; Chicago won Game 5 in double overtime Thursday in St. Louis before the Game 6 comeback on Saturday.
The Blackhawks will try to win a series in which they've fallen behind 3-1 for the second time in three seasons. Chicago lost three of its first four games to the Detroit Red Wings before rallying to win and going on to capture the 2013 Stanley Cup.
Chicago coach Joel Quenneville has to like his chances as well. The Blackhawks have a long pedigree of winning series in comeback fashion under his tenure, which began in 2008-09. In that span, they are 13-4 when facing elimination, 15-1 in Game 6s, and 5-1 when trailing 3-2 in a series. They will be looking for their third victory in five Game 7s.
Much like the first five games, the pace was fast right from the start.
The Blackhawks went ahead 1-0 on Ladd's goal, but St. Louis responded with three straight goals for its 3-1 lead. Chicago's Andrew Desjardins whiffed on a tip-in at 6:07 that would have made it 2-0, and Upshall scored 11 seconds later to make it 1-1. Pietrangelo and Tarasenko had goals 2:09 apart to make it 3-1.
In the second, the Blackhawks took control for nearly the entire 20 minutes, sparked by Anisimov's power-play goal at 4:13 and a boisterous home crowd. The noise level really jumped when Van Riemsdyk made it 3-3 by redirecting a feed from Toews past Elliott, and became a full-on roar when Weise put Chicago ahead to stay with his goal, the fourth postseason game-winner of his career.
Weise has struggled to crack the lineup since the trade; he came into the game with one assist in 15 regular-season and two playoff games with Chicago. Andrew Ladd had a goal and assist in arguably his best game since Bowman re-acquired him from the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 25. Weise's first goal since Bowman acquired him from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 26 made it 4-3 and turned out to be the game-winner.
Hawks Quotes
Andrew Ladd: "We haven't done anything yet, right? We just wanted to give ourselves a chance to get to a Game 7 and we achieved that. So now you've got to regroup and get ready for another big game."
Dale Weise: "We didn't get too down. We just had to defend a little better. We gave them too many odd-man rushes [in the first]. They have too many good players over there. They're going to score on those. [We continued] to defend and fed off the crowd there."
"It's a little bit of a fresh new start for me. I'm just waiting for my opportunity to get in and then do what I can do. I never really have issues with my confidence. I believe I can contribute in the playoffs. I've shown that in the past. That one felt good tonight."
Jonathan Toews: "At the end of the day, we'll give [the Blues] credit. They're a tremendous hockey club. [There's] been no easy moment against that team throughout this series. But it's testament again to our experience and to the guys who haven't been here too long to really buy in and play the right way when we've been in this do-or-die position the last couple games, and you see what can happen when we all buy in, we all play the right way."
Blues Quotes
Alex Pietrangelo: "Go back on home ice and use the home crowd to our advantage and keep doing what we've been doing to get it to seven games. We've played good hockey in this series."
Ken Hitchcock: "They raised the bar for a period, OK? So now it's our turn to answer. We've worked hard all year to get to this and we've got an opportunity in front of us. I really want to see us take advantage of it, but we're going to need people to play better. We need our whole team to play better. If we do that, then I like our chances."
The Pittsburgh Penguins kept history from repeating itself. A second-period surge gave the Penguins a 6-3, Game 5 win against the New York Rangers that ended their Eastern Conference First Round series at Consol Energy Center on Saturday. After losing to New York in each of the past two Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins won three straight games to eliminate the Rangers 4-1.
New York's loss kept them from becoming the first NHL team to win a best-of-7 series after trailing 3-1 in three consecutive postseasons. The Rangers trailed the Penguins 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Second Round two years ago and the Washington Capitals last year before winning those series.
Pittsburgh will play either the Capitals or Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Second Round. Washington leads that best-of-7 series 3-2 with Game 6 on Sunday.
Bryan Rust gave the Penguins their first lead, 3-2, 5:21 into the second period. Trevor Daley sent a slap pass to Rust to the right of the New York net, allowing him to shoot past goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Matt Cullen extended the lead to 4-2 with his second goal of the series after Rust fought Derick Brassard off the puck as they glided through the New York zone. Cullen trailed, gathered the puck and shot by Lundqvist's glove 9:26 into the second.
Rookie forward Conor Sheary and Rust scored the Penguins' third and fourth goals of the period to push their lead to 6-2. Rust had three points after taking a maintenance day during Pittsburgh's practice Friday.
Rangers goalie Antti Raanta replaced Lundqvist to start the third period. Lundqvist allowed a combined 10 goals on 41 shots in the past two games and was pulled in each. He allowed at least four goals in six of his past 16 appearances. New York forward Chris Kreider scored a power-play goal 5:38 into the third period to make it 6-3.
Penguins rookie Matt Murray made 38 saves to win his third consecutive start in the playoffs. Murray has won 10 straight since losing 3-2 to the Capitals on March 1. The Rangers and Penguins each scored twice in the first period.
New York forward Rick Nash made it 1-0 when he deflected Dan Girardi's slap shot past Murray 1:02 into the game. Murray got a piece of the shot but let it slip under his right arm for Nash's second goal of the series. Carl Hagelin tied the game 1-1 when he drove to the crease to receive a pass from Phil Kessel and shot past Lundqvist's left pad with 10:10 remaining.
Dominic Moore gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead 45 seconds later. After Viktor Stalberg shot off the right post, the puck bounced through the Pittsburgh crease and past defenseman Kris Letang. Patric Hornqvist kicked the puck back toward Murray and it hit off Moore's leg before entering the net with 9:25 left.
Pittsburgh answered after New York rookie defenseman Brady Skjei was called for boarding seven seconds after the faceoff. Sidney Crosby sent Kessel into the Rangers zone, where he took a snap shot from the right circle over Lundqvist's blocker for his third goal of the series and a 2-2 tie with 8:21 remaining.
Pens Quotes
Mike Sullivan: "We certainly didn't want to have to go back to New York for Game 6. I think when you have teams at that elimination point, you want to do your best to take care of business right then and there. We did speak about that with our group."
Sidney Crosby: "[Kessel] can change a game with one shot. He's the type of guy that doesn't need a lot of time to get a shot off … he's really dangerous. We talk about the playoffs and it's a matter of inches sometimes. When he's able to get space and capitalize on chances he gets the way he does, he can change a game."
"You have to give credit where credit is due. Pittsburgh, coming into this, they were playing really well. They're on top of their game right now. … They're a really good team." New York coach Alain Vigneault said.
Other Results
Nashville @ Anaheim 2-5 - Sucks Lead Series 3-2
Sami Vatanen scored the game-winning goal early in the third period, and Frederik Andersen made 26 saves to help the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-2 victory against the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Honda Center on Saturday. It was the first game won by the home team in the series. David Perron, Ryan Garbutt, Cam Fowler and Ryan Kesler scored for the Ducks, who have won three in a row and lead the best-of-7 series 3-2. Game 6 is at Bridgestone Arena on Monday. Perron scored 22 seconds after Ryan Johansen gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 14:13 of the second period.
It was the first goal of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs for Perron and Johansen.
Garbutt scored his first goal of the 2016 playoffs at 16:23 to put the Ducks ahead to stay. Andersen has allowed three goals on 87 shots in three starts, all wins, since taking over for John Gibson, who started Games 1 and 2. The Predators have been unable to solve Andersen or the Ducks penalty kill, which is 14-for-14 in the past three games. Miikka Salomaki also scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves. Johansen opened the scoring when he sent a sharp-angled backhand high into the Anaheim net for a 1-0 Nashville lead. Perron’s point shot went off Predators defenseman Roman Josi’s skate and over an outstretched Rinne at 14:35 to tie it. Garbutt stuffed the puck in past Rinne after winning a puck battle on the forecheck. Ryan Getzlaf and Perron had the assists. Vatanen made it 3-1 at 8:34 of the third period. After his hooking penalty expired, Vatanen came out of the box and took a feed from Jakob Silfverberg, went in on a breakaway and beat Rinne. Salomaki cut the Anaheim lead to 3-2 with 6:31 left when he scored off a rebound from a Weber slap shot.
Fowler restored the Ducks’ two-goal lead when he scored a power-play goal with a slap shot from the point with 3:23 remaining after taking a pass from Vatanen. It was Anaheim’s second power-play goal of the series and first since Game 1. Kesler scored into an empty net with 1:46 left. Anaheim is 6-0 in Game 5 dating to the 2013 postseason. On the brink of elimination, the Predators are trying to recapture what it was that helped them win the first two games of the series. They’re holding on to the notion that the series can change with a single bounce.
Joonas Donskoi scored twice, including the tie-breaking goal 3:58 into the third period, and the San Jose Sharks eliminated the Los Angeles Kings from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 6-3 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference Conference First Round at Staples Center on Friday. San Jose wins the best-of-7 series 4-1, and will play either the Anaheim Ducks or Nashville Predators in the Western Conference Second Round; the Ducks and Predators series is tied at 2-2. The Sharks advanced past the first round for the first time since 2013; the Kings defeated the Sharks in the second round in 2013 and the first round in 2014.
San Jose jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Kings scored three times in the third to tie the game. There were two key chances for the Sharks to create more separation, a two-man advantage in the first period and a penalty shot in the second, but they failed to capitalize on both and the Kings felt that they could take advantage. Drawing on veteran leadership, the Sharks were able to keep their composure in the third period.
Logan Couture set up Donskoi’s second goal from behind the net. With Kings defenseman Drew Doughty near him, Couture got the puck to defenseman Brent Burns in front of the net, who fed Donskoi for the winner. With 7:36 left, Pavelski scored his fourth goal of the series to make it 5-3.
Melker Karlsson, Chris Tierney and Matt Nieto scored for San Jose, and Burns had three assists. Goalie Martin Jones made 19 saves. Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Kris Versteeg scored for Los Angeles, and goalie Jonathan Quick made 22 saves. The Kings said that they came into the playoffs on shaky ground. The final two weeks of the regular season ultimately set the tone for an early exit.
Kopitar cut the Sharks' lead to 3-1 at 7:44 of the second period, and Carter made it 3-2 at 11:26 when he was left alone in front and snapped one high over Jones. Versteeg knocked in a rebound with 3:24 left in the period to tie the game at 3-3. The second-period outburst came after the Kings were outshot 13-4 in the first.
For the fourth time in the series, the Sharks scored on their first shot of the game when Donskoi skated into the right circle untouched and sniped one past Quick 1:08 into the game. Tierney made it 2-0 at 11:21 of the first when he banked one in off the post.
Nieto put San Jose up 3-0 at 4:05 of the second. The Sharks had a chance to go up 4-0 less than two minutes later when Patrick Marleau was awarded a penalty shot after Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin hooked him on a breakaway, but Quick made the save. Karlsson scored into an empty net with 22 seconds remaining.
Sharks Bites
Peter DeBoer: “I haven’t been around here for some of the stuff that’s gone on in the past but I’m sure for some guys, they felt like we exorcised some demons tonight. For the group in general, it was just a well-earned victory.”
Joe Pavelski: “The message to the group (at the second intermission) was more about we’re here, we’re in this position, it doesn’t really matter how we got here. We’d like to perform a little better with a 3-0 lead but we’re in a position where 20 minutes will works and win a period and close out a series. Guys really grasped on to that.”
Kings Quotes
Milan Lucic: “Once we got out there for the third, unfortunately we weren’t able to sustain what we built in the second. They were able to get out of the zone and scramble in front of the net and make it count. It seems like all series long we were able to capitalize on their chances and we weren’t in front of the net. That’s why we end up on the losing side of things.”
“Starting from when we cliched the playoff spot, I think we only played one really good game and that was at home against the (Anaheim) Ducks. It’s definitely disappointing from how hard we worked in the season to when we clinched a spot as fast as we could that we didn’t make the most of it. We can make excuses all we want with [Alec Martinez] being out of the lineup and this and that, but at the end of the day we didn’t play the right way when we needed to and it ended up costing us."
Mikko Koivu scored 4:55 into overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a series-extending 5-4 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at American Airlines Center on Friday. Koivu redirected a Ryan Suter wrist shot from the left point for his second goal of the game. He scored the tying goal with 3:09 remaining in the third period. Minnesota trails the best-of-7 series 3-2 with Game 6 at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.
Dallas, looking to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2008, took its first lead, 4-3, on a goal by Alex Goligoski with 11:04 remaining in the third. Johnny Oduya, Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza scored for Dallas. Spezza and Goligoski scored 28 seconds apart in the third period. John Klingberg had two assists. Granlund, Jordan Schroeder and Nino Niederreiter scored for the Wild. Devan Dubnyk made 37 saves. Jason Pominville, Jared Spurgeon and Suter had two assists; Granlund had a goal and an assist.
The Stars trailed 2-1 to start the third period, but Benn's third goal of the series at 1:00 tied it. Minnesota regained the lead 50 seconds later when Niederreiter scored off a backhand. Spezza scored his third goal of the series at 8:28, slipping the puck inside the far post and around an outstretched Dubnyk for a 3-3 tie. Goligoski, who had a turnover that led to the first Wild goal, scored with a wrist shot from the left point that deflected in off Marco Scandella's back.
Granlund gave the Wild a 1-0 lead when he scored off that turnover 3:32 into the first period. Goalie Antti Niemi denied Granlund's initial shot at the near post with a pad save, but Granlund never gave up on the play and poked in a free puck. Schroeder, playing his first game in the series, made it 2-0 when he scored his first NHL playoff goal off a rebound at 5:16 of the first period.
Oduya made it 2-1 with 2:42 remaining in the first period when he beat Dubnyk far post with a slap shot from the left point. It was Oduya's first playoff goal in 29 games, since May 28, 2014 when he scored for the Chicago Blackhawks against the Los Angeles Kings. Dallas played without injured center Tyler Seguin (Achilles), second on the Stars with 73 points this season, for a third straight game.
Stars Quotes
Lindy Ruff: "I don't like the mistakes, but I think we had over 90 attempts and we had the puck most of the night. We made some really big mistakes. We made some big mistakes on goals that we haven't been making and we've got to clean them up."
Alex Goligoski: "It was a tough play by me, obviously, on the first goal. You would like to jump on them at home. That kind of takes the wind out of your sails. We can't have mistakes like that."
Jamie Benn: "We knew they were going to bring a strong effort. Their lives were on the line. They came out pretty hot. It was back and forth in the third. It was a tough one to lose."
Antti Niemi: "We don't want to think about what happened tonight. We'll probably get over it tonight, have a good travel day tomorrow and be ready to go [for Game 6]."
Wild Quotes
Mikko Koivu: "All the goals tonight and the whole game kept us alive here, and now we have another chance to go home and play in Game 6. Now the preparing starts for that one."
Mikael Granlund: "We were up, they were up, and everything happened so quickly. I'm just really glad we got the win and we get to go back home next game."
Devan Dubnyk: "That's what we talked about coming into this game, was to get one here and then get back home. We will work to use the crowd and work hard to give them a good game in Game 6. We love playing in our barn and have a great feeling about it. That was the next step for us."
John Torchetti: "It's fun. That's playoff hockey. You have to be ready for it. I can't even believe they pay me for this job because it's so much fun."
Other Results
Philadelphia @ Washington 2-0 - Caps Lead Series 3-2
Michal Neuvirth has played in big games at Verizon Center, but this time was different. The goalie was going to play against the team that traded him in 2014, and the Philadelphia Flyers' season was on the line. Neuvirth made 44 saves, and the Flyers shut out the Washington Capitals 2-0 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Friday. Neuvirth set Flyers records for saves in a Stanley Cup Playoff shutout and regulation playoff win. Washington leads the best-of-7 series 3-2, with Game 6 at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. Ryan White and Chris VandeVelde scored for the Flyers. Philadelphia's 11 shots on goal were its fewest in any regular season or postseason game. Neuvirth made his first start of the series in Game 4 on Wednesday, with a 2-1 win keeping the Flyers afloat. Goalie Braden Holtby made nine saves for Washington. The Capitals challenged Neuvirth early in a scoreless first period and led in shots on goal 14-6 despite four penalties, three called against Justin Williams, including a double-minor for high sticking at 1:08. Jay Beagle had a scoring chance shorthanded but was stopped by Neuvirth. Wayne Simmonds had one of the Flyers' best scoring chances during the double-minor, but was stopped by Holtby. Philadelphia had two power plays in the second period but did not score and finished the game 0-for-6. White scored at 7:52 of the second period shortly after a Williams penalty expired. White's shot deflected off the skate of Capitals defenseman Taylor Chorney to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. VandeVelde scored into an empty net with 31 seconds remaining. Neuvirth made 16 saves in the second, including two on Alex Ovechkin late in the period. The Flyers went 10:19 without a shot on goal and 10:11 without attempting a shot. Shot attempts were 30-8 in Washington's favor. It was the first time in Flyers history they led a postseason game after two periods with as few as eight shots on goal.
NY Islanders @ Florida 2-1 2OT - Isles Lead Series 3-2
Two weeks after making his NHL debut, Alan Quine gave the New York Islanders a huge Stanley Cup Playoff victory. Quine scored a power-play goal at 16:00 of the second overtime, and the Islanders defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at BB&T Center on Friday. New York leads the best-of-7 series 3-2. Game 6 will be at Barclays Center on Sunday, when the Islanders can win a playoff series for the first time since 1993. With Panthers forward Derek MacKenzie in the penalty box for slashing, Quine scored on a one-timer from the top of the right circle after taking a feed from defenseman Marek Zidlicky. The puck bounced in off the right post. The Islanders won a Game 5 for the first time since 1987, snapping a streak of 11 defeats. The team that wins Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 is 189-52 (78.4 percent), according to Elias Sports Bureau. The Panthers lost their sixth consecutive overtime playoff game, a streak that includes Game 3 of this series (4-3 on Sunday). Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov had a penalty shot at 7:19 of the first overtime, but Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss stopped his backhand off a deke. The penalty shot was awarded after it was ruled Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan closed his hand on the puck in the crease.
It was the third overtime penalty shot in Stanley Cup Playoff history, the first since 1998. All three attempts were unsuccessful. Washington Capitals forward Joe Juneau was stopped by Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Ken Wregget in 1996, and Andy Moog of the Montreal Canadiens stopped Penguins forward Aleksey Morozov in 1998. Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr played in all three games.
The Islanders failed to score on a power play early in the second overtime after Jagr was called for tripping. Frans Nielsen scored his third goal of the series for the Islanders, and Greiss made 47 saves. Barkov scored for the Panthers, and Luongo made 40 saves. Florida trailed 1-0 going into the third period before Barkov tied it at 1:59. He redirected a cross-ice pass from defenseman Alex Petrovic, who scored the go-ahead goal in a 2-1 victory in Game 4. Jagr had the second assist; his streak without a goal in the postseason is 35 games dating to 2012. The Islanders challenged Barkov's goal for offside, but the play was upheld after review. Nielsen scored at 13:31 of the first after Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo made a blocker save on his wrist shot. Defenseman Thomas Hickey stopped a clearing attempt by Matheson and shot, but it was blocked in front. The puck came to Nielsen at the side of the net and he put it past Luongo. Panthers center Vincent Trocheck made his playoff debut. He had been out since March 29 when he injured his foot blocking a shot against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Trocheck began the game at center on the third line between Jiri Hudler and Teddy Purcell before being reunited with Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen midway through the second period. Florida center Nick Bjugstad left the game early in the second overtime after his face hit the boards. The Islanders were without rookie defenseman Ryan Pulock, who will miss the rest of the series with an upper-body injury. He was replaced by Zidlicky. Quine, 23, made his NHL debut April 9 and played two regular-season games. He had an assist in Game 1.
Patrick Kane felt like the start of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs was not going well for him. Redemption came when Kane scored 3:07 into the second overtime and the Chicago Blackhawks avoided elimination with a 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round series on Thursday at Scottrade Center. Kane deked around Troy Brouwer in the slot and slid a shot on goal that hit goaltender Brian Elliott and squirted past the left post. The NHL’s regular-season scoring leader circled the net, picked up the loose puck and backhanded it into the net. The Blues lead the best-of-7 series 3-2, with Game 6 at United Center on Saturday.
The Blues rallied from a 3-1 deficit and forced overtime with third-period goals by Robby Fabbri and David Backes. Jaden Schwartz had a second-period power-play goal, and Elliott finished with 31 saves. The Blues had the belief that they were going to win, especially after the surge in the third to tie it and in the first overtime.
Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin scored second-period goals for the Blackhawks, who got 43 saves from Corey Crawford. Crawford's best save of the overtime came on a tight-in angle from Alexander Steen. Since 2009, the Blackhawks are 12-4 when facing elimination and 44-15 in games 4-7 of all series. The Blues lost for the first time in six games in their franchise history when holding a 3-1 series lead with a chance to clinch on home ice.
Fabbri cut Chicago's lead to 3-2 when he cut around defenseman Brent Seabrook to the slot and beat Crawford to the short side at 6:57 after taking outlet Alex Pietrangelo's pass. Backes made it 3-3 with 5:10 remaining. He was between the hash marks in the slot when he deflected Pietrangelo's straightaway wrist shot from inside the blue like past Crawford.
Hossa put the Blackhawks on top 1-0 at 11:32 of the second period when he was sprung by Niklas Hjalmarsson on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break after Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk tried rimming the puck around in the corner. Hossa went in with Keith, kept the puck and beat Elliott to the short side off the post for his 50th playoff goal. But with Anisimov still off for tripping, Schwartz tied it at 12:29 with his third power-play goal in as many games. He took an outlet pass from Pietrangelo and beat Crawford from the left circle to the glove side.
However, Chicago scored twice late in the period to go up 3-1. Anisimov followed up Panarin's shot from the left circle and popped it in at 15:24 after Elliott couldn't handle the rebound. Panarin scored with 0.4 seconds left after the Blues won a defensive zone faceoff but Kane checked Jay Bouwmeester off the puck before getting it from Jonathan Toews and feeding Panarin for the slap shot high short side from the slot. Kane scored his 49th playoff goal.
Hawks Quotes
Patrick Kane: "I tried to make a move around a guy who was maybe trying to block my shot. Made a move, saw the puck and tried to get one on net there. Fortunately enough it kind of squeaked out to the other side. I don't think I was very good in that first overtime or very good at all tonight. It's one of those things I tried to tell myself just to get confidence going into that fifth period and try to make some plays."
Joel Quenneville: "[Kane’s] a clutch player. Obviously he’s a great player. Not a lot of guys can do what he did or does. Couple of those spin moves tonight were dangerous and he stuck with it on the other side of the net, so obviously you have to give him credit. He’s special and he’s special with everything on the line as well."
Corey Crawford: "We were able to stay pretty calm given the fact and fight off the momentum and those times in our zone. I thought this game was strong for us."
Duncan Keith: "Obviously it feels good. I don’t know if that’s the way we drew it up. It would have been nice to just hang on to that lead. But [Kane] came through and I thought they probably carried a lot of the play there in the first overtime. But it just matters that we got the goal." 
Blues Quotes
Jaden Schwartz: "You've got to have that belief. It could have gone either way. Chances both ways. When it gets to overtime, anything can happen. Obviously we had the belief that we were going to win, but we've got to bounce back here and get ready for the next game."
Ken Hitchcock: "I thought we played a really good first period. They had a surge a little bit in the second for about seven or eight minutes. We played great in the third, great in the overtime. Played a hell of a hockey game."
"They get to play too. They won some board battles. They were having a high sense of desperation."
Alex Pietrangelo: "I thought we outplayed them. Chances were there. We've just got to find the back of the net. Like I said, [we’re] still up 3-2 and we won the last two there, so more of the same."
It didn't take Evgeni Malkin all that long to get back into form. The Pittsburgh Penguins center had two goals and two assists, and rookie goalie Matt Murray made 31 saves in a 5-0 win against the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Pittsburgh leads the best-of-7 series 3-1 and can close it out by winning Game 5 at Consol Energy Center on Saturday.
Malkin, playing his third game since returning from an upper-body injury after missing more than a month, tied his NHL playoff high with four points. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said he knew it was only a matter of time before Malkin got his offense back on track. He had one assist in Game 2 and one in Game 3.
Murray was playing his second NHL playoff game. He made 16 saves in a 3-1, Game 3 win here on Tuesday. Sullivan said he wasn't surprised by the performance, especially with the importance of the game.
The Rangers have lost their past five home playoff games (three shutouts) and have been outscored 18-3. Their last postseason win at MSG was Game 1 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1). Murray didn't need much offensive support, but got it. The Penguins scored three power-play goals on seven shots, including two by Malkin.
The Penguins scored three times in the first period. They took a 1-0 lead at 1:09 when defenseman Ben Lovejoy's shot from the right side was stopped by goalie Henrik Lundqvist, but the rebound came to Eric Fehr, who put it into the net.
They scored on a power play at 7:11 when Sidney Crosby's deflection of Malkin's shot hit off Patric Hornqvist's skate and went in to make it 2-0. Conor Sheary's wrist shot off a Rangers turnover made it 3-0 at 16:12. Malkin scored 4:00 into the second period to give the Penguins a 4-0 lead and then scored a power-play goal at 3:28 of the third for a 5-0 lead.
Lundqvist, who allowed four goals on 14 shots, was pulled in the second period after playing 26:04. Antti Raanta replaced him and made 13 saves. The Rangers trailed the Penguins 3-1 in the first round in 2014 before winning the final three games.
Pens Quotes
Evgeni Malkin: "It's so much better. Finally I started playing a little bit better and have more confidence. I think my line played not bad tonight, but I know we can play better every game."
Mike Sullivan: "Geno has missed a lot of time (he was injured March 11). No matter how good you are, I think it takes some time to get back into the game mode. ... For me, Geno has gotten better with each game he's played."
"[Murray has] played in big games for us down the stretch. He has a real calm demeanor about him. I think he has a quiet confidence. He knows he is good. ... For a young guy, he is mature beyond his years."
"Our power play I thought made great decisions with the puck. Their shot selection and when to put it at the net was really good. ... All of the details of the power play that we talk about on a daily basis were evident when they were out there."
Matthew Murray: "A win is a win and it feels good, but at the same time, at this point of the season, it really doesn't matter until you get the fourth one. I'm nervous before every game. Obviously these last two, more so than usual, but I thought I did a good job of controlling that."
Other Results
Detroit @ Tampa Bay 0-1 - Bolts Win Series 4-1
Alex Killorn scored with 1:43 remaining in the third period to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 1-0 win against the Red Wings in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round series at Amalie Arena on Thursday and send them on to the second round. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop made 34 saves for his fourth career shutout in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tampa Bay, which won the best-of-seven series 4-1, will play the winner of the first-round series between the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers. That series is tied 2-2 and resumes Friday at BB&T Center. Killorn scored the game-winner after Tampa Bay forward Ryan Callahan dumped the puck behind the Detroit net from the left-wing wall just outside the zone. Petr Mrazek left his crease to play the puck, but Callahan skated past the Red Wings goalie, intercepted his pass intended for defenseman Jonathan Ericsson, and quickly sent it in front to Killorn, who scored on a redirection. With Mrazek pulled for the extra attacker, the Red Wings had a 6-on-4 power play for the final 43.6 seconds after Lightning defenseman Jason Garrison was called for cross-checking Henrik Zetterberg. Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk sent shots wide of the Tampa Bay net, and Bishop made a save on Luke Glendening with two seconds left. Callahan blocked Mike Green’s shot with his skate as time expired. It was Bishop who gave Killorn the chance to play hero. The Red Wings controlled play most of the night, particularly in the second period, when they outshot the Lightning 14-6 and generated their best scoring chances. Bishop made saves on breakaways by Riley Sheahan, Dylan Larkin and Darren Helm in the period, and faced numerous odd-man rushes. The game tightened up in the third period, when Detroit outshot Tampa Bay 11-10. It’s the second straight year Bishop has eliminated the Red Wings with a shutout. Last year, Tampa Bay defeated Detroit 2-0 in Game 7 of their first-round series. The Lightning penalty kill was 4-for-4 on Thursday and 24-for-25 in the series. In addition to the 6-on-4 at the end of the game, the Red Wings had a 5-on-3 for 1:14 in the first period. Mrazek made 23 saves.
Datsyuk, 37, who may not return to the NHL next season, was held without a point in the series.
“I need a little bit to cool down and for the emotion to go out, and then start thinking about more,” said Datsyuk, who told the Detroit Free Press before the playoffs that he was going to return to Russia and play in the Kontinental Hockey League next season.
Anaheim @ Nashville 4-1 - Series Tied 2-2
Frederik Andersen made 30 saves, and the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday to tie their Western Conference First Round series. Ryan Getzlaf, Nate Thompson, Jamie McGinn and Andrew Cogliano scored for the Ducks. The road team has won each game in the best-of-7 series, which is tied 2-2. Game 5 is at Honda Center on Saturday.
The Ducks started the season 12-15-6, but then went 34-10-5 the rest of the way to go from worst to first in the Pacific Division. So, losing the first two games of this series at home wasn’t a big deal for them. After Mike Fisher tied it for Nashville at 11:26 of the second period, Anaheim scored the final three goals. Thompson gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead at 17:04 on a shot from below the right faceoff circle. Forward Rickard Rakell made a cross-ice pass to Thompson, who was able to wait out Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne and shoot it past him for his second goal of the series. McGinn put the Ducks ahead by two goals when he scored with 1:04 left in the second on a redirection from the slot. The Predators failed to get the puck out of the defensive zone, and Ducks forward Chris Stewart corralled it and passed to McGinn, who got it past Rinne for his second goal. Cogliano gave Anaheim a 4-1 lead at 16:52 of the third period. Jakob Silfverberg stole the puck from Nashville defenseman Roman Josi off a faceoff, and Cogliano one-timed the puck past Rinne for his second goal. Getzlaf gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 1:02 of the first period on an odd-man rush. Forward David Perron took the initial shot, and Getzlaf was able to get to the rebound and slide the puck under Rinne for his second goal. Fisher tied it 1-1 on a one-timer from the slot. Forward Colin Wilson got the puck behind the net and made a pass to Fisher, who was able to shoot it past Andersen for his first goal. Andersen has allowed one goal on 58 shots in two games. John Gibson started the first two games for Anaheim. Predators forward Craig Smith missed Game 4 with a lower-body injury and is day-to-day. Forward Colton Sissons replaced Smith in the lineup. The Predators went 0-for-6 on the power play in Game 4 and are 1-for-19 in the series.
