Flyers 5, Penguins 1
Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots and Philadelphia cooled off Pittsburgh on Friday night to even the first-round series at a game apiece. Shane Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Andrew McDonald and Nolan Patrick also scored for the Flyers. They bounced back from an embarrassing 7-0 loss in the opener to beat the Penguins for the first time this season. Game 3 is Sunday in Philadelphia. Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh's lone goal with just over 5 minutes left to avoid the shutout, but the Penguins looked ordinary for long stretches after looking unstoppable in Game 1. Matt Murray's shutout streak dating to the 2017 Stanley Cup finals ended at 226:49 when Gostisbehere scored on the power play late in the first period. Murray finished with 16 saves to lose for just the third time in 17 home playoff starts in his career. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol made no changes to the lineup that was picked apart in the series opener, confident his team would respond the way it did during various parts of an occasionally turbulent season. That included staying with Elliott, who was pulled midway through the second period in Game 1 after giving up five goals on just 19 shots.
Jets 4, Wild 1
Paul Stastny, Andrew Copp and Patrik Laine scored in the third period and Winnipeg beat Minnesota to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference firstround series. Defenseman Tyler Myers had a goal in the second period and also had an assist. Rookie Jack Roslovic, replacing injured veteran Mathieu Perreault, had two assists in the game that ended with a series of fights. Zach Parise had his second goal of the series when he deflected Mikko Koivu's shot past Connor Hellebuyck to end the goalie's shutout bid with 45 seconds left. The goal came on the power play after Jets forward Brandon Tanev was called for hooking with 59 seconds left. Hellebuyck made 16 saves. Devan Dubnyk stopped 39 shots for Minnesota.
Winnipeg won 3-2 on Wednesday night. Game 3 is Sunday at Minnesota.
The Wild had more jump early in the scoreless first period, surpassing the four-shot total they had Wednesday in the opening frame by going 5-0 by the five-minute mark. That included three shots at Hellebuyck during a power play with Myers in the box for tripping.
Dubnyk didn't have to stop a Winnipeg shot until seven minutes had passed. The Jets then turned on a switch and had outshot the visitors 13-9 when the period ended, but many were from the outside.
Winnipeg got its first power play five minutes into the second period when center Mark Scheifele was tripped by Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, but it wasn't their shots with the man advantage that sparked the crowd. Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien threw two big hits nine seconds apart, the first on Mikael Granlund in front of the Winnipeg bench, the second a slam that rocked Koivu into the boards behind Hellebuyck.
Late Thursday Sharks 3, Ducks 0
Evander Kane scored two goals in his first career playoff game, Martin Jones made 25 saves and San Jose beat Anaheim in the first-round series opener.
Brent Burns also scored and captain Joe Pavelski had two assists during a three-goal second period to help the Sharks easily take early control in the series between California rivals. San Jose and Anaheim have been regular playoff teams for the past 15 years, yet are meeting in the postseason for only the second time. Ken Hitchcock wasn't sure how long he would coach the Dallas Stars the second time around after 15 years away. Turned out to be one season. The coach who led Dallas to its only Stanley Cup championship retired Friday, ending a 22-year career as the third-winningest coach in NHL history. The 823 wins are behind only Scotty Bowman (1,244) and Joel Quenneville (884). He's fourth in total games with 1,536. The 66-year-old Hitchcock will become a consultant for the Stars. "I have contemplated this since our last game and I came to the conclusion that now is the right time to step away and let the younger generation of coaches take over," said Hitchcock, who last year signed a multiyear contract that included the stipulation of becoming a consultant when he was finished coaching. Hitchcock returned to Dallas after 14 seasons elsewhere, including stops in Philadelphia, Columbus and St. Louis. General manager Jim Nill hoped Hitchcock could get the Stars back to the playoffs, but a late-season slump kept them out for the second straight year and the eighth time in 10 seasons.