Sharks bite back:
After being shut out in two straight games, San Jose beats Edmonton 7-0 to even series at 2-2.
Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture each scored two goals, and the host San Jose Sharks rebounded from back-to-back shutouts in emphatic fashion, beating the Edmonton Oilers 7-0 on Tuesday night to tie their first-round playoff series at two games apiece.
After being throttled by the younger and faster Oilers the previous two games, the Sharks went back to the successful formula that carried them to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago.
Pavelski scored on a pair of deflections, including one just 15 seconds into the game for the fastest playoff goal in team history, and the previously dormant power play scored four times. Now the Sharks will try to carry that over into Game 5 in Edmonton on Thursday night.
Patrick Marleau, Marcus Sorensen and David Schlemko also scored for San Jose, and Martin Jones made 23 saves.
The Oilers’ Cam Talbot was pulled after allowing five goals on 24 shots.
Sharks coach Peter DeBoer juggled his lines in search of any kind of offensive spark, moving Marleau up to the top line with Joe Thornton and Pavelski among other changes.
at New York Rangers 2, Montreal 1: Rick Nash and Jesper Fast scored, Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves and the Rangers evened the series at 2-2.
Torrey Mitchell scored for Montreal and Carey Price made 30 saves.
Fast grabbed a loose puck and slid it through the legs of Price for an unassisted goal at 11:39 of the first period to open the scoring.
Later, Alexander Radulov passed to Mitchell, who started a two-on-one break with Shea Weber and scored with 1:23 remaining.
Nash gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead early in the second, taking a pass from Nash and slipping a backhand past Price at 4:28.
at Columbus 5, Pittsburgh 4: Markus Nutivaara, William Karlsson and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist and the Blue Jackets avoided a sweep.
Jack Johnson and Josh Anderson also scored for Columbus, which was able to outlast the Penguins when they pushed back in the second and third periods and got a short-handed goal from Jake Guenztel with 27 seconds left in the game.
Sergei Bobrovsky had 27 saves to help the Blue Jackets get their first playoff win in three years and their first ever in regulation.
The Penguins now lead 3-1 in the series. Patric Hornqvist, Ron Hainsey and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored for Pittsburgh.