With the score tied in the third period, Markus Naslund popped out of the penalty box and set up the winning goal as the New York Rangers beat Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 4-3 in Game 1 of the NHL Eastern Conference series.
Naslund fed Brandon Dubinsky, who made a move that left defenseman Jeff Schultz sprawled on the ice. Dubinsky then beat goalie Jose Theodore inside the near post with 8 minutes, 17 seconds remaining.
Scott Gomez had a goal and two assists, Nik Antropov and Naslund each had a goal and an assist, while Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves for the seventh-seeded Rangers.
PHOTO: AP
Tomas Fleischmann, Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin scored, Ovechkin had a pair of assists and Jose Theodore made 17 saves for Washington.
Game 2 is tomorrow in Washington.
PENGUINS 4, FLYERS 1
PHOTO: AFP
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each had a goal and an assist as Pittsburgh shut down frustrated Philadelphia’s fleet of scorers.
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, idle for long stretches in the first two periods as his teammates controlled play at the other end, made 26 saves to help the Penguins win their fourth consecutive conference playoff series opener.
Tyler Kennedy and Mark Eaton also scored for the Penguins, who beat the Flyers in five games last year in the Eastern Conference finals. Simon Gagne scored late in the third period for Philadelphia.
Game 2 is tonight in Pittsburgh.
DEVILS 4, HURRICANES 1
In Newark, New Jersey, Martin Brodeur made 18 saves, while Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner each had a goal and an assist as New Jersey downed Carolina.
Defenseman Mike Mottau scored in the first period, Parise and Patrik Elias added goals in the second period, while Langenbrunner scored in the third.
Martin Brodeur, who set the regular-season record for NHL career wins last month, came within 11 minutes of tying Patrick Roy’s record for career playoff shutouts at 23 before Ray Whitney scored on a rebound.
Game 2 is tonight in New Jersey.
Canucks 2, Blues 1
In Vancouver, Daniel Sedin had a goal and an assist, while Roberto Luongo made 25 saves as Vancouver beat St Louis.
Sami Salo added a power-play goal for the Canucks, 14-1-1 at home since the start of February. Brad Boyes had a power-play goal for St Louis.
Game 2 is tonight in Vancouver.
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