PITTSBURGH -- Mike Sullivan was right. The past is the past for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh ended its postseason hex against the New York Rangers emphatically Saturday, lighting up Henrik Lundqvist in a remarkably easy 6-3 rout in Game 5 to win the series 4-1 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Rookie Bryan Rust scored twice during a four-goal burst in the second period and Matt Murray made 38 saves for the Penguins. Pittsburgh which outscored the Rangers 14-4 over the final three games to gain a measure of revenge after New York ended the Penguins' seasons each of the last two years.
Not this time. Matt Cullen, Carl Hagelin, Conor Sheary and Phil Kessel also scored for the Penguins to end a miserable and brief postseason for Lundqvist, who stopped just 17 of 23 shots and failed to make it to the third period for the third time in the series (see full recap).
Ducks win third straight to take 3-2 series lead
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Ryan Garbutt scored the go-ahead goal in the second period for the Ducks, who beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Saturday for the first win by a home team in their first-round series, which Anaheim leads 3-2.
Nashville had won the first two games in Anaheim before the Ducks tied it with two wins on the Predators' home ice.
David Perron scored the tying goal earlier in the second and assisted on Garbutt's goal along with Ryan Getzlaf.
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The Ducks added three goals in the third. Sami Vatanen scored on a breakaway, Cam Fowler had a power-play goal and Ryan Kesler added an empty-netter.
Frederik Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks.
Game 6 is Monday in Nashville (see full recap).
Blackhawks force Game 7 with 6-3 victory over Blues
CHICAGO -- Dale Weise struggled after he was traded to Chicago in February. Then he was a healthy scratch for the playoff opener.
On Saturday night, when the Blackhawks needed him the most, he was in the right place at the right time - continuing a postseason tradition for the rugged winger.
Weise capped Chicago's dominant second period with the winning goal in the Blackhawks' 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues, sending their first-round playoff series to Game 7.
"Weiser scoring, you know it took a while, but nothing bigger than the one he got tonight," coach Joel Quenneville said.
Artem Anisimov and Trevor van Riemsdyk also scored in the second, and Andrew Shaw added a third-period goal in his return from a one-game suspension for using a gay slur during Chicago's 4-3 loss in Game 4. Andrew Ladd had a goal and an assist as the Blackhawks improved to 15-1 in their last 16 Game 6s in the playoffs, according to STATS (see full recap).
