Capitals rout Panthers to grab series lead
Avalanche net four on PP, poised to sweep Predators from playoffs — Penguins, Stars go up 2-1
CAPITALS 6, PANTHERS 1
At Washington, D.C., goalie Ilya Samsonov made 29 saves for his first playoff victory as the Capitals defeated Florida on Saturday afternoon to gain the series lead against the NHL's No. 1 team.
The eighth-seeded Capitals lead the best-of-seven series 2-1 against the top-seeded Panthers, who won the Presidents Cup as the NHL's top team in the regular season. Game 4 is set for Monday night in Washington.
Samsonov, a 25-year-old Russian who was Washington's first-round pick in 2015, went 0-for-3 in his first playoffs exposure last season.
The Capitals, who rallied from an early 1-0 deficit, got goals from T.J. Oshie, Marcus Johansson, Trevon Van Riemsdyk, Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson (empty-netter) and Garnet Hathaway.
Oshie and Ovechkin scored on the Washington power play, which went 2-for-5 in the game and is 4-for-11 in the series. Nicklas Backstrom and Anthony Mantha added two assists each.
The Panthers got a goal from Jonathan Huberdeau and 22 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.
Florida opened the scoring 2:45 into the first period. Ovechkin put a heavy hit on Huberdeau, but the Panthers leader was unfazed and raced down the ice where Anthony Duclair found him with a cross-ice pass. Huberdeau zipped a shot past Samsonov's glove.
Washington got a break when Panthers defenceman MacKenzie Weegar was penalized with just 33 seconds left in the first period for holding the stick of Hathaway, preventing a short-handed breakaway.
Immediately after, Oshie won the faceoff and when Ovechkin launched a long shot, Oshie deflected it in to tie the score at 1-1.
Johansson scored with 10:09 left in the second period to give Washington a 2-1 lead. The sequence started when Barkov's shot at the doorstep was stopped by Samsonov.
The Capitals came right back on the rush, and when Mantha's backhander was stopped by Bobrovsky's left pad, Johansson was left with a juicy rebound.
The Capitals made it 3-1 with just 71 seconds left in the second period. Weegar lost the puck deep in his own end. Mantha got the steal, which led to Backstrom's shot. Bobrovsky stopped that one, but again Johansson retrieved the rebound fed Van Riemsdyk who scored from the left circle.
After an interference penalty on Huberdeau, the Capitals made it 4-1 on Ovechkin's blast from the left circle with 9:35 left in the third.
Carlson scored five minutes later and Hathaway added an empty-netter in the final minute.
AVALANCHE 7, PREDATORS 3
At Nashville, Gabriel Landeskog had two goals and two assists Saturday as Colorado pushed the Predators to the brink of elimination.
The Avalanche lead the best-of-seven series 3-0.
Colorado goalie Darcy Kuemper left the game with 57 seconds remaining in the first period when the stick of Predators forward Ryan Johansen caught him through his mask. He stopped nine of 10 shots. Pavel Francouz came on in relief and made 18 saves.
Matt Duchene, Eeli Tolvanen and Roman Josi scored for the Predators. Connor Ingram made 35 saves for Nashville, but five Colorado power plays were the Predators' undoing as the Avs scored on four of them.
PENGUINS 7, RANGERS 4
At Pittsburgh, Danton Heinen scored a tiebreaking goal at 11:02 of the third period Saturday as the Penguins downed the New York Rangers for a 2-1 first-round playoff series lead.
After the Rangers erased a three-goal deficit to tie it 4-4, Heinen caught up with a loose puck that squirted out of a tangle in the corner and, from the right circle, ripped it between the pads of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.
Jake Guentzel and Jeff Carter, with his second of the game, added empty-netters to seal it.
Evan Rodrigues had two goals and an assist, Brock McGinn also scored, and Mike Matheson added three helpers and Sidney Crosby two for the Penguins. Pittsburgh goaltender Louis Domingue made 32 saves and had an assist. Kaapo Kakko, Frank Vatrano, Artemi Panarin and Andrew Copp scored for the Rangers.
New York starting goaltender Igor Shesterkin got pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots. Georgiev made 19 saves.
STARS 4, FLAMES 2
At Dallas, Joe Pavelski's power-play goal midway through the third period lifted the Stars to a win over Calgary on Saturday night and a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference series.
It was Pavelski's second goal of the game. Radek Faska opened scoring 8:21 after the opening faceoff. Roope Hintz added an empty-netter.
Trevor Lewis and Elias Lindholm answered for the Flames.