Western Conference
Los Angeles Kings 3, San Jose Sharks 1 -- Kings goalie Jonathan Quick was sieve the past two games, allowing the Sharks to take control of a series that had been a dogfight. Quick was a stone wall on Saturday night, stopping 51 or 52 shots and bringing the gritty Los Angeles squad back into the series. They now head back to LA with a chance to tie the series against the high-flying and incredibly powerful offensive Sharks squad that's looking for an easy first round win. Los Angeles is not giving it to them this postseason.
San Jose leads the series, 3-2.
Eastern Conference
Tampa Bay Lightning 8, Pittsburgh Penguins 2 -- The Penguins had a chance to end the series on their home ice. Instead, the Lightning put on an offensive show and scored five goals within a 10 minute span, chasing Marc-Andre Fleury and putting the game out of reach. Steven Stamkos, Simon Gagne, and Pavel Kubina all scored two goals against the Penguins to dominate the game. The Lightning now can tie the series up on their home ice and send the series to a Game Seven in Pittsburgh against a rattled Penguins squad.
Pittsburgh leads the series, 3-2.
Washington Capitals 3, New York Rangers 1 -- The gritty Capitals held on to their series lead and defeated the Rangers in Verizon Center, winning a series that no one thought they would survive. They beat a similarly-built Rangers team with solid defense and goalkeeping, and their upper-echelon talent showed up in this this series. In the clincher, Alex Ovechkin scored a goal and an assist, giving them a lead they would not relinquish. Wojtek Wolski scored the only Rangers goal with less than 30 seconds in the game. The top seeded Capitals now await their next opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals, as they are the first Eastern team to advance in this season's playoffs.
Washington wins the series, 4-1.
Boston Bruins 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 (2 OT) -- The Bruins finally won a home game, and took a series lead over their archrival Montreal, though it took three games in TD Bank Garden. Nathan Horton was the hero, as he scored the Boston goal nine minutes into the second overtime and the favored Bruins took their first lead in the series after winning both games in Montreal. Canadiens goalie stopped 49 of 51 shots he faced, but was finally beat on the Horton goal. Montreal has a chance to tie the series on their home ice in Game Six.
Boston leads the series, 3-2.
Games To Watch Today
Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres, 3:00 p.m. EDT on NBC -- With the Sabres in charge, and the Flyers' goaltending situation a complete disaster, Buffalo has a chance to wrap up the series and send an early Cup favorite home after the first round. Can Ryan Miller complete the job against whomever Philly places in net? That's the question.
Anaheim Ducks at Nashville Predators, 6:00 p.m. EDT -- Nashville is on home ice for the first time with their first ever closing game. If they don't win, the pressure is on for them to win one more time in Anaheim. Goalie Pekka Rinne has been the difference so far, and the Predators will need him to steal one more game for their first ever franchise victory.
Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m. EDT, on Versus -- Vancouver was on track to sweep the series against a Chicago team that appears to hold their number. Now, after two straight blowouts, the Canucks face questions across the board. Can Roberto Luongo stand up against a strong Chicago front? Can the Vancouver front line finally solve Corey Crawford. And most importantly, can anyone in a Vancouver sweater stop Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith, who has carried the banner for the reigning champion Blackhawks? If Chicago wins this game on home ice, they will head to an unlikely Game Seven matchup against a terrified Canucks team that was expecting to be resting at the moment.