National Hockey League Playoff Game Capsules

Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – With their season on the verge of demise, the New York Rangers’ offense finally sprung to life. After mustering a mere two goals over three straight losses in their Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Rangers scored four over the first two periods en route to a 5-1 Game 5 triumph over the Pittsburgh Penguins that staved off elimination. Derick Brassard led the charge with a pair of goals and an assist, with Mats Zuccarello lending three helpers to support a 31-save effort from Henrik Lundqvist. Ryan McDonagh and Chris Kreider each added a goal and an assist, while Kevin Klein tacked on an empty-net tally to finish off the rout. Evgeni Malkin had the lone goal for Pittsburgh, which will attempt to again close out the series when it shifts back to Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Marc-Andre Fleury, who helped Pittsburgh build a 3-1 series lead by recording shutouts in Games 2 and 3, stopped just 30-of-34 shots.

Final Score: Minnesota 4, Chicago 2

St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Matt Cooke provided an immediate spark in his return from a suspension and the Minnesota Wild remained undefeated at home in these playoffs with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Jason Pominville, Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine and Jared Spurgeon supplied the goals for the Wild, who have outscored the opposition 16-5 while winning all five games at Xcel Energy Center. Ilya Bryzgalov made 18 saves as the Wild evened this Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece. Patrick Sharp and Michal Handzus each had goals, and Corey Crawford stopped 27 shots for Chicago, which will host Game 5 on Sunday.

Categorized in: NHL