Capitals win series in OT
Marcus Johansson came through to help the Washington Capitals get another big overtime win in a firstround series that had five games go beyond regulation. Now they get to rest up for the defending champions.
Johansson stuffed his second goal of the game past Frederik Andersen at 6:31 of overtime, lifting the Capitals to a series-winning 2-1 victory over host Toronto in Game 6 on Sunday night.
“They gave us everything they had, and we had to work hard for it and we had to stick with it for a long time,” Johansson said. “This is the playoffs. It’s going to be tight. It’s never going to be an easy ride.”
Auston Matthews broke a scoreless tie for Toronto at 7:45 of the third, and Johansson tied the score with less than eight minutes to go.
Braden Holtby made 37 saves for the Capitals, who will next face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year.
“We’re ready,” Johansson said. “We’re excited. We can’t wait to get going. We’ve worked hard for it. We’ve worked all year and all summer to get back into this position, and now we’re here.”
It was a bitter end for the Maple Leafs. They made a 26-point leap in the standings during the regular season — jumping from last place in the NHL to the postseason — then nearly beat the best team in hockey.
Ottawa 3, at Boston 2 (OT): Clarke MacArthur scored a power-play goal 6:30 into overtime to help the Senators eliminate the Bruins and advance to the second round.
Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris scored in the second period to give the Senators a 2-1 lead, and Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots for Ottawa. The Senators will play the New York Rangers in the next round.
Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for the Bruins, who got goals from Drew Stafford and Patrice Bergeron.