National Hockey League Playoff Game Capsules
Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – Milan Lucic and Jarome Iginla registered third-period goals and Tuukka Rask stopped 31 shots, as the Boston Bruins advanced courtesy of a 4-2 decision over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of this Eastern Conference quarterfinal from TD Garden. Loui Eriksson and Zdeno Chara also tallied, with Torey Krug adding a pair of assists for the Bruins, who won the series 4-1 and face the rival Montreal Canadiens in the next round at a date to be determined. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg provided offense for the Red Wings, who failed to win a playoff series for the second time in three seasons. Jonas Gustavsson, making his second start in place of the ill Jimmy Howard, made 29 saves in the season-ending setback.
Final Score: Pittsburgh 3, Columbus 1
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Jussi Jokinen scored to break a tie in the third period and the Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed control of their Eastern Conference opening-round series with a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kris Letang added an empty-net goal to seal the victory that gave the Metropolitan Division champs a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven set. Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves for Pittsburgh, which can eliminate the Blue Jackets with a win at Columbus on Monday. Sergei Bobrovsky gave the Blue Jackets a chance at returning home with a series lead, registering 48 saves.
Final Score: Colorado 4, Minnesota 3 (OT)
Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) – Nathan MacKinnon scored 3:27 into overtime to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round series. The Avalanche used the same script from Game 1 to grab a 3-2 lead in this best-of-seven set, tying the game late in regulation with the goaltender pulled and netting the overtime winner. Colorado’s game-tying goal shouldn’t have counted based on video review as Paul Stastny narrowly beat a puck-carrying MacKinnon into the Minnesota zone. However, the play wasn’t blown dead for an offside. The Wild will try to stave off elimination on Monday by extending the home team’s dominance in this series.
Final Score: Los Angeles 3, San Jose 0
San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Jonathan Quick stopped 30 shots to secure his eighth career postseason shutout, as the Los Angeles Kings staved off elimination once again with a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series from SAP Center. After avoiding a sweep with a 6-3 triumph in Game 4, the Kings scored twice in the first period Saturday and added another marker 22 seconds into the second before leaving the rest to their veteran netminder. Quick was up to the task, posting 24 of his 30 saves over the final 40 minutes to force a Game 6 in Los Angeles on Monday. Anze Kopitar, Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter each registered a goal for the Kings, who had lost their last five playoff games in San Jose. Antti Niemi was pulled for the second straight game after allowing three goals on 19 shots. Alex Stalock took over early in the second and stopped all 22 shots he faced in relief for the Sharks, who finished 0-for-5 on the power play.
Categorized in: NHL