Islanders, Canadiens win playoff openers
Bruins fire GM just four seasons after winning Cup.
Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, Ryan Strome and the New York Islanders showed that experience is not required for playoff success.
Each of those three young forwards scored in the postseason for the first time, with Nelson getting a pair of goals. Goalie Jaroslav Halak got plenty of help in keeping Alex Ovechkin off the scoring sheet, and the Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 4-1 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.
Bailey (2008), Nelson (2010) and Strome (2011) were all first-round draft picks by New York, none is older than 25, and they entered Wednesday with these combined playoff numbers: seven games, zero goals, three assists.
That didn’t matter on this night. Nor did Halak’s struggles down the stretch in the regular season. The goalie who stymied Ovechkin and the Capitals while playing for eighth-seeded Montreal in a 2010 first-round upset, was mostly superb. He made 24 saves, allowing only Marcus Johansson’s goal in the final minute of the first period.
Game 2 in the best-ofseven series is at Washington on Friday night.
Ovechkin, the threetime NHL MVP who scored 53 goals this season to lead the league for the third year in a row and fifth time overall, had eight shots Wednesday but all were turned aside.
Washington’s NHL-best power play went 0-for-2, compiling a total of three shots during those opportunities.
■ (At) Canadiens 4, Senators 3: Brian Flynn scored a tie-breaking goal late in the second period to lift Montreal.
Flynn also had two assists for the first threepoint game of his career.
Tomas Plekanec and Torrey Mitchell scored 15 seconds apart in a frenetic second period that saw five players get goals in less than five minutes. Lars Eller scored short-handed as part of the barrage.
Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris got power-play goals in the mid- dle period for the Senators. Milan Michalek was credited with the game’s first goal, which Montreal’s Andre Markov tipped into his own net 12 minutes in.
Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban was given a five-minute major and game misconduct after slashing Ottawa rookie Mark Stone in the wrist midway through the second period.
■ Bruins: Boston fired general manager Peter Chiarelli on Wednesday, days after missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years and just four seasons after the franchise won its first Stanley Cup title since 1972.
The statement from the team said coach Claude Julien and the rest of his staff “will remain in place at this time.”
“I don’t want to take away anything that Peter accomplished here,” Bruins President and Hall of Fame forward Cam Neely said. “I mean, he’s going to go down in history as the GM that brought the Stanley Cup back to Boston, the first time in 39 years, so that says a lot about his abilities as a general manager. ... we just felt moving forward was the best thing for us to do.”
No interim was named, and Neely said the team will conduct an “exhaustive” search for a permanent replacement. ■ Kyle Lowry scored 26 points as Toronto wrapped up the regular season with a franchise-record 49th victory. Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points for the Raptors, who will open the playoffs at home Saturday. ■ Tyson Chandler had 22 points and 15 rebounds for Dallas as the Mavericks learned they will play Houston in the first round of the playoffs. ■ Aaron Brooks scored 23 points as Chicago locked up the third seed in the East. The Bulls will face Milwaukee in the first round. ■ Gigi Datome scored 22 points, including two key buckets in the final 3 minutes, to help Boston win its sixth straight. ■ Russell Westbrook scored 37 points for Oklahoma City in a result that was rendered moot by New Orleans’ playoff-clinching win. ■ LeBron James sat out to rest for the playoffs in Cleveland’s comeback victory. ■ Henry Walker hit a 3-pointer with 9 seconds left for a 103-101 lead. ■ Reggie Jackson had 24 points and 11 assists for Detroit. ■ Late ■ Late ■
(At) Raptors 92, Hornets 87:
(At) Mavericks 114,Trail Blazers 98:
(At) Bulls 91, Hawks 85:
Celtics 105, (at) Bucks 100:
Thunder 138, (at) Timberwolves 113:
(At) Cavaliers 113,Wizards 108 (OT):
Heat 105, (at) 76ers 101:
Pistons 112, (at) Knicks 90: Pacers at Grizzlies: Nuggets at Warriors: Kings at Lakers: NBAnotes
Warriors:
Late ■ ESPN reported that Stephen Curry sank 77 consecutive 3-pointers following Tuesday’s practice, the most in a row he has ever made. Curry also said he made 94 of 100 shots during the session. Curry, a leading candidate for league MVP, already has surpassed his previous NBA record for most 3-pointers in a season.