After an uncharacteristic omission from the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings bounced back this season, claiming their sixth playoff berth in seven years.The team rebounded after a trying 95 points in 2015, setting a franchise record with 48 wins and matching the second-highest point total in team history and the best single-season finish in 25 years.However, an unlucky draw in the first round pinned them against a superior San Jose Sharks team and lead to a departure from the playoffs after just five games. The Kings are likely bound to return to the postseason in 2017 if they tackle the offseason correctly.Here are three things the Kings need to do this offseason:Sign Milan LucicLucic has not been shy suggesting his heart is with the Kings' organization. Even going as far to insist Sunday that he has no interest in hitting the open market on July 1st.The 27-year-old bruiser enjoyed a successful first campaign with the Kings, collecting 20 goals and 55 points during the regular season, good enough for fourth in team scoring.He found chemistry playing alongside Anze Kopitar and is a perfect mould for the team's sandpaper style of play.Contract offers were reportedly swamped in early March, so both sides should have no problem extending this fitting engagement.Strengthen defenseWhile the Kings house arguably the best two-way defender in the game in Drew Doughty, outside him and a couple others, the club's defense core is thin.The trio of Dougthy, Jake Muzzin, and Alec Martinez have housed the bulk of the responsibility on the blue line and could use some assistance. The team lost a large piece after the Slava Voynov debacle saw him head back to Russia and has not been the same since.The team added place holders Luke Schenn and Rob Scuderi, but neither are permanent fixes. The Kings need to bring in a true defender or two who can eat up minutes and relieve pressure from Doughty and company or prepare to face a similar fate next season.Make Kopitar captainWhile Dustin Brown has faired admirably in the past serving as the team's captain, it's time to face the music: The Kings are now Kopitar's team.The 28-year-old has led the team in scoring in nine straight seasons, only failing to do so in his rookie year in 2007. He has been widely regarding as one of the best two-way forwards in the game and has played the role of leader incredibly well since entering the league.Brown has served as captain the last eight seasons, and while he remains a leader, his production has slipped - seeing him failing to hit more than 28 points the last three seasons and largely occupying the third line.Kopitar is the obvious successor to Brown as captain and now is as good a time as any to make the change.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Plight wasn't something the Washington Capitals dealt with readily during the regular season.This is a team that shot out to an insurmountable division lead long before clinching the Eastern Conference with three weeks left in the regular season. They ended up with 120 points - or the most league-wide since the franchise racked up 121 six years prior.So when their offense was sapped when the Philadelphia Flyers introduced Michal Neuvirth to the first-round series, and when they were clinging to a one-goal lead in their third chance to bury an inferior opponent, this iteration appeared to be experiencing something foreign.But not unnerving."I think we've come full circle, where we're comfortable being uncomfortable, if you will," head coach Barry Trotz said after the decisive Game 6 win."Sometimes you're not going to get much, and you have to be patient. That's probably where we've grown the most: in patience and poise."Of course, just because the Capitals were able to click it into cruise control at times this season doesn't mean they're without resolve. In fact, defenseman Karl Alzner calls overcoming adversity - whether it's erasing deficits or staying with a sputtering attack - the team's "calling card."And that self-assurance has traveled all the way up to ownership."Even I felt stable," team owner Ted Leonsis said.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With the reserve tanks bone dry after four-and-a-half taxing periods in Game 6, the superlative skill of John Tavares proved to be the only thing that could separate the New York Islanders from the Florida Panthers.Here's the reaction to Tavares' historical overtime winner - a goal that sent the Islanders to their first series win in 23 years - in pictures.Tavares' goal - a backhand wraparound after his first attempt was blocked - came in the 91st minute of action.It was his second of the game, and the Islanders' third overtime winner of the series.So they've had practice piling on.Travis Hamonic, though, took a moment to appreciate the 41-save effort from Thomas Greiss.All while Roberto Luongo lamented the 51st shot directed on him.And finally, legend to legend - at least in Long Island.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After undergoing a role reversal - of sorts - on the Stanley Cup schoolyard, Drew Doughty's now willing to set the record straight.He and Logan Couture aren't really pals."I debated saying something but I didn’t. I don't know ... whatever. He can say whatever he wants. It doesn't really affect us," the Los Angeles Kings star defender said Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper. "I don't even know what to say about that."He added: "To be honest everyone talks about this 'buddy' thing but we really aren't that close. We really aren't. We basically work out at the same gym and that's about it."Doughty's revision, which corrects for an ongoing narrative about friendship and collective hockey upbringing in London, Ont., comes in response to Los Angeles' swift dispatching, but also Couture's biting remarks after the series."Throughout the last couple of years things have been said by players on that team that to me I take it as disrespectful," Couture said after Game 5."It's nice to stick it back to them and beat them in this series. Even in this series someone said on the team they had us right where they wanted us. Wonder if they have us where they want us right now."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

PHILADELPHIA - It's Ovie vs. Sid the Kid in the postseason, take II.OK, Sidney Crosby isn't called a kid much at all these days, and he already has one Stanley Cup title.And for Alex Ovechkin, well, it had been more like Ova and out in a postseason history littered with early exits.But seven years after Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated Ovechkin's Washington Capitals in the lone playoff meeting between the two greats, they are ready for the rematch.''Pittsburgh is huge,'' Ovechkin said. ''It's going to be a hard series. We'll see what's going to happen.''The NHL world can't wait.Ovechkin can, earning some needed rest after the Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Sunday in Game 6 to win the series 4-2 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.The Capitals scored two goals over the final three games of the series and clearly need more offense from Ovechkin and Co. to have a chance against the Penguins, who beat the Rangers in five games.Against the Flyers, it was just enough, though.Braden Holtby had 26 saves for his second shutout of the series. He stymied a Flyers team that went a miserable 1 for 24 on the power play and failed to score on nearly 2 minutes of a 5-on-3 edge in the second period that doomed their chances.Consider, the Penguins scored 11 goals total in their final two decisive wins against New York.''The Penguins are obviously rolling, especially offensively, but we're confident in our game,'' Holtby said. ''We're confident in our game plan to shut teams down defensively and still have offense.''The Capitals pushed Pittsburgh to the limit in a fantastic 2009 playoff series. The Penguins won in seven games in a series that had six games decided by one goal and three that were decided in overtime. Ovechkin had 14 points in the series and Crosby 13. The superstars had memorable dueling hat tricks in Washington's Game 2 victory.The Penguins went on to win the Stanley Cup.The Capitals, meanwhile, have not even reached the Eastern Conference finals since 1998. The reward for beating the Flyers: keeping alive the pursuit of the first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.Early in the third period, a Flyers fan held up a sign directed at Washington that read, ''You'll choke.''Not these Capitals, and certainly not against punchless Philadelphia.''It's a different group. The past is a different regime,'' Holtby said. ''We are trying to write our own history.''Crosby and Ovechkin bring the star power.The Caps are so much more than just their captain.Ovechkin had an assist on Nicklas Backstrom's second-period goal that easily held against the Flyers.Riding the momentum of Michal Neuvirth in net, the Flyers won two straight to force an unlikely trip home. Neuvirth was sensational again, but the Flyers were ultimately doomed by a power play that could not cash in against Holtby. The Flyers wasted nearly 2 minutes of a 5-on-3 power play in the second period that made a critical difference.''We sacrificed our body 5-on-3,'' Ovechkin said. ''We paid the price and we won.''Holtby, who had a 19-save shutout in Game 1, was barely tested with solid shots the last two games. The Flyers took only 11 shots against him in Game 5 and matched that feeble total midway through the second period, and failed on a two-man edge.Backstrom's double minor for a high stick and Matt Niskanen's hooking penalty gave the Flyers 1:55 of a 5-on-3. The Flyers missed both shots with a two-man advantage. They later got hit with a penalty to make it 4 on 4 and wipe out the one-man edge.''We just had to find a way to get a goal on the power play,'' Flyers captain Claude Giroux said.The Flyers finished 0 for 3 on Sunday, but it's the 5-on-3 failure that will linger with them into the offseason.The Capitals' penalty kill deserved credit, too.''We watched a lot of their 5-on-3s and knew exactly what they were going to do,'' defenseman Karl Alzner said. ''Holtby made some big saves and that was the turning point.''Backstrom helped Washington break Neuvirth's shutout streak that stretched 72 straight shots over nearly 110 minutes when he scored on a one-timer just below the circle with 8:59 left in the second period.''Good pass, unbelievable shot,'' Neuvirth said. ''I don't think I could have stopped it.''The Flyers, who made a late-season surge under rookie coach Dave Hakstol just to reach the playoffs, have not won the Stanley Cup since 1975.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota's dormant arena had jolted awake, with two goals in a 16-second span by the previously slumbering Wild early in the third period.The Dallas Stars had their 4-0 lead sliced in half, and coach Lindy Ruff called his team over to try to stem the momentum with 15-plus minutes to play.''Probably one of the most useless timeouts I've taken, because they couldn't hear a word I said anyway,'' Ruff said, ''But I was just trying to tell them, `Listen, we've got to play.' You've got to live that environment to get better at it.''Though the Wild pulled even closer, coming within a fraction of an inch of tying the game in the final minute, the Stars prevailed with a 5-4 victory on Sunday afternoon to wrap up their Western Conference quarterfinal series in six games and extract some valuable experience from the difficult finish.Jason Spezza scored his fourth goal of the series and added three assists, and goalie Kari Lehtonen and the Stars needed every last one of them to reach the second round for the first time since 2008.''A lot of things that you can take out of this that are good, a few things that are bad, but it's never easy to win a playoff series, especially against a tough team like Minnesota,'' said Patrick Sharp, who had one of the three first-period goals for Dallas.John Klingberg, Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski also scored for the Stars, who will face the winner of the Chicago-St. Louis series, which is tied at 3 entering their decisive Game 7 on Monday night.''The veteran leaders are the guys that you need in a game like this to make a difference, and they get all the credit for leading the way for us,'' Ruff said.Jared Spurgeon scored two of Minnesota's four third-period goals, both on the power play, and the Wild nearly tied the game with 34 seconds remaining when Nino Niederreiter crashed the crease for a loose puck.Freeze-frame replays showed it in the net, but not fully across the goal line, as it connected with Lehtonen's right pad. The oh-so-close call was upheld by review.''We knew they wouldn't go away. They didn't all series and we didn't expect them to now,'' Goligoski said. ''They made some great plays, and we made a couple mistakes but found a way. Sometimes it's just about winning games, especially this time of year, so we're happy we (sneaked) away with it.''At the end of a sleepy second period, with the Wild and their fans seeming more than ready for summer vacation, Benn put the Stars in front 4-0 on his top-shelf shot. Benn had two assists and finished with 10 points in the series.The Wild weren't ready to pack it in, though, as they proved during the torrid 20 minutes that followed.In one of many odes throughout the afternoon to Minnesota's late musical prodigy Prince, the song ''Let's Go Crazy'' played on the sound system after each score by the Wild, who sent 16 shots at Lehtonen in the third period. Lehtonen finished with 25 saves and a 3-1 record in the series, but the Stars were all out of sorts down the stretch.Those early goals added up, though, because the Stars only needed one more to seal it. They got a friendly bounce when Goligoski's shot bounced around the goal mouth and Devan Dubnyk didn't see it beneath him. Charlie Coyle lunged to try to keep it out, but the puck glanced off Dubnyk and in for a 5-3 lead with 9:32 remaining.''I guess that's why you throw pucks to the net, but that was a tough time to get a bounce like that,'' said Dubnyk, who stopped 19 shots. ''The way the guys worked in the third period, I'm just proud to be back there and a part of that. Right to the end, we still managed to get within one and almost score there. That makes you feel sick to have to lose a game and a series on a bouncer like that.''Jason Pominville slammed in a rebound with 4:47 left, setting up the frantic final flurry, but the Stars held on.''I feel like we should still be playing,'' Wild defenseman Ryan Suter said. ''The way that third period ended, I thought, 'Man, just one more minute in that period and maybe we're going to keep going.'"Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Islanders are living the dream.It couldn't have been scripted any better. Down 1-0 in Game 6 at home, John Tavares tied it up with only seconds to play and then won it in double overtime. Tavares, the captain, the franchise, sent New York to the second round for the first time in more than two decades.It's reality."It was fitting," head coach Jack Capuano said after the dramatic win, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple. "(Tavares) gets the tying goal, then the winner on a great individual effort ... This is a resilient group."The group is led, unquestionably, by Tavares. He beasted just to get the Islanders into the playoffs, in one of the more disappointing statistical seasons of his career. Turns out, he was waiting for the spring. Tavares finishes the first round with five goals and nine points in six games."Once he went around the net, I knew it was over," said Kyle Okposo, who's been riding shotgun with Tavares for years, and who assisted on the series clincher. "It was just ... elation. We made three huge plays in the series in OT and the biggest was (Sunday). To do it in front of our fans, play the way we did, I'm extremely proud of our group."Okposo was drafted by the Islanders in 2006. Tavares in 2009. Travis Hamonic in 2008. Frans Neilsen in 2002. Brock Nelson in 2010. There's been ups, and there's been downs, but there's never been quite a high like this."It feels great to do it with these guys," Okposo added. "We grew up here together. To break through that invisible barrier that's been hanging over this franchise for the last 23 years, it's special. But it's also just one chapter in a book we haven't finished yet."Monday's a new day for Islanders' fans. A beautiful day. And the ride is only beginning. Bring on the Tampa Bay Lightning.Tavares, never the sexiest quote, was straight and to the point after what was arguably the biggest night of his career."Great to reward the fans, it's been a long time for them," he said. "A lot of us, we've been here for a while, so it feels good."The man forever lets his play do the talking, and after Sunday, you have to respect him for it even more.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

With 60 seconds left to play in Sunday's Game 6, the Florida Panthers were up 1-0, and it appeared there would be a Game 7 against the New York Islanders. Then John Tavares happened.The New York captain put his team on his back, tying the game with 53 seconds to go before winning it - and the series - in double overtime. After the game, 44-year-old Jaromir Jagr admitted he thought it was going to be a happy flight back home."It was close. I thought we got it, we were so close to score on the empty net," Jagr said, according to the Sun Sentinel's Harvey Fialkov. "Maybe this is what this team needs to move higher next year. Of course, I thought we had it in the bag, it's going to be Game 7 and it just (didn't happen)."It's frustrating. You have a choice, fight or score or give up. I fight til the end. Most of the games we had a lead, we just couldn't close it. You can learn from that."Jagr's maintained throughout the season he isn't done playing hockey, and he'll let us know when he is. He continued in that vein Sunday."If I come back I know I have to be ready, have to practice differently, you always could learn. I want to play that's for sure, I'm going to be more ready."In Jagr's world, there are no defeats. Only lessons. We could all learn a thing or two from the veteran.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

It's going to be a long summer for the Florida Panthers.A record season for the club ended in dramatic fashion Sunday when the Panthers were eliminated by the New York Islanders in Game 6 of their first-round series, John Tavares scoring the series-winner in double overtime.It was Tavares' second goal of the night. His first tied up the game at 1-1 with only 53 seconds to go in the third period - the Panthers were that close to forcing a Game 7. And, according to head coach Gerard Gallant, the game should have ended 1-0 Panthers, or 2-0 Panthers, because Florida should have gone on the power play as the clock wound down.Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck was tripped in the moments before Tavares tied up the game, sending it to overtime. There was no call.

While they lost, the Philadelphia Flyers were content in knowing they left it all out on the ice.Their first-round series ended in six games Sunday with a 1-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, and Philly's core players made no excuses. The Caps were the league's best team this season, while the Flyers fought tooth and nail to qualify for the playoffs - and it showed.Philadelphia managed only six goals in six games, but they battled, forcing Games 5 and 6 after falling behind 3-0. The entire organization was playing with heavy hearts, too, after owner Ed Snider passed away before the series began."I hope Mr. Snider is proud," head coach Dave Hakstol said in defeat, according to Philly.com's Sam Carchidi.Lessons were learned, said Brayden Schenn."I think it gives everyone a taste of what the playoffs are like and what this building is like in the playoffs," the 24-year-old said. "We're still a young team and we still have a lot to prove, and it was good for us to squeak into the playoffs and get a taste of it."Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere added: "We have a great foundation here. Good things are going to happen."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Catch you on the flip side.Florida Panthers forward Reilly Smith went for a ride Sunday after New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey caught the 25-year-old with a devastating hip check.The hit was a thing of beauty, but nevertheless garnered a two-minute minor for interference - a penalty that was ultimately killed off by the Islanders.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The only finger Claude Giroux was pointing after his season ended was at himself.The Philadelphia Flyers' captain refused to make excuses after his club was eliminated Sunday in a 1-0 defeat to the Washington Capitals, with the first-round series ending 4-2 in the Presidents' Trophy winners' favor."Not good enough," Giroux said according to the Courier-Post's Dave Isaac. "You know, I'm pretty frustrated with myself. Gotta find a way, doesn't matter how it is. You gotta find a way."That's the playoffs, isn't it? You have to find a way.The Flyers were unable to do so, especially Giroux. He has only one assist to show for six games in the 2016 playoffs. It wasn't only him, though: Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, and Jakub Voracek were all contained by the Capitals. The Flyers were only able to force a Game 6 because of goaltender Michal Neuvirth.You have to give Washington credit. Voracek was the only player among those mentioned above who found the back of the net in the series, despite the fact the Flyers were as healthy as folks get in the playoffs."No," Giroux answered when asked if he was playing significantly hurt. "Everybody has little bruises here and there but I'm good."The Flyers poured everything into making the playoffs. Giroux and Simmonds were instrumental in Philadelphia hosting postseason hockey this spring. Once they got there, though, the gas tank was empty, and the team played with heavy hearts after owner Ed Snider passed away.Beating the Capitals was always going to be a monumental task, and the Flyers managed to score only six goals in six games."I thought we gave it our all. We gave it our all, all year long," Simmonds said. "I don't think anyone really even gave us a chance to make the playoffs. I'm proud of every single guy in this dressing room. We push it to the limit and we busted our butts all year long and sometimes you don't get the breaks and that was it. They're a good team and they're the best team in the league all year long and I think you can see that out there."Respect, in other words, to the Capitals.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Ken Hitchcock wants Vladimir Tarasenko to play mad.The St. Louis Blues' dynamic, ultra-talented forward was upset over his ice time in Game 6 against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, and head coach Hitchcock wouldn't have it any other way - especially with Game 7 looming.Tarasenko was visibly displeased with Hitchcock after the second period Saturday night. The Blues went into the frame with a 3-1 lead, but headed to the dressing room down 4-3, having allowed the Blackhawks to get up off the mat."That's what happens when you've got a guy like that that wants to make a difference," Hitchcock said, according to ESPN's Craig Custance. "I love it, I love it in him."On Sunday, the bench boss explained what happened Saturday:"(Tarasenko's line) just came off a long shift and they were tired. I was trying to cheat to get time, to give them a rest, but the referee wouldn't let us cheat. So he wanted our players out there right away."Hitchcock pointed out that Tarasenko plays shorter shifts than other star players, so his cumulative ice time doesn't really tell the tale at the end of the night. The coach wants him out there more often, but in shorter spurts."He's a big body that plays a lot, he gets leaned on, he leans on a lot of people," Hitchcock said. "It's very wearing. The game he plays is a physical one."Tarasenko has four goals and two assists to go along with nine hits in six games in the series. However, with the Blues' season - not to mention Hitchcock's job - on the line, there's no way No. 91 can play 16:56 in Game 7 like he did in the previous outing.Game Ice Time118:30216:05316:33415:14521:28616:56With the season in the balance, Tarasenko has to see over 20 minutes on Monday. Period.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Devan Dubnyk was hurt.The Minnesota Wild goaltender revealed after his team's Game 6 ouster by the Dallas Stars that he was playing with a blocker-side hand injury, according to the Star Tribune's Michael Russo. The netminder "was in pain every time he played the puck," Russo tweeted.Dubnyk didn't have a great series. He entered Game 6 with a .892 save percentage, and allowed five goals on 24 shots Sunday.

The Minnesota Wild came within an inch of mounting a seemingly impossible third-period comeback Sunday.Related: Wild come within inch of game-tying goal in final minuteAfter entering the final frame of a must-win Game 6 down 4-0, the team went off for four goals, but ultimately fell short and watched the Dallas Stars advance to the second round.It was clear after the game that the lack of a full 60-minute effort caused the team's demise."We need to bring that the whole game," said forward Charlie Coyle. "It was right there for us. Never out of the fight there. It came down to inches."Defenseman Jared Spurgeon - whose two goals were key in the team's attempted comeback - echoed Coyle's thoughts.

It's a sight that will haunt the dreams of the Minnesota Wild.The team came within a fraction of an inch of tying Sunday's Game 6 in the final minute of play and potentially prolonging their series with the Dallas Stars.Forward Nino Niedereitter banged away at a puck in close - upon further review, very close.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Jason Spezza scored his fourth goal of the series and added three assists, and goalie Kari Lehtonen and the Dallas Stars needed every last one of them to hold off the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Sunday to wrap up the first-round series in six games.Jared Spuregon scored two of Minnesota's four third-period goals, both on the power play, and the Wild came within a fraction of an inch of tying the game with 34 seconds remaining when Nino Niederreiter whacked at a loose puck in the crease.Freeze-frame replays showed it in the net, but not quite fully across the goal line as it connected with Lehtonen's right pad, an oh-so-close call that was upheld by review. Jason Demers was there trying to pounce on the puck, too.John Klingberg, Patrick Sharp, Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski also scored for the Stars. They moved on to face the winner of the Chicago-St. Louis series, which is tied at 3. The Blues host the Blackhawks in their decisive Game 7 on Monday night.The Wild's intensely up-and-down season ended with a fury, metaphorically squeezing months of drama into one final period after waking up from a figurative afternoon nap during the first 40 minutes of the game. Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin scored 16 seconds apart, pulling the Wild to 4-2 with 15-plus minutes to play.In one of many odes to the late artist Prince, the song ''Let's Go Crazy'' played on the arena system after each goal by the Wild, who had 16 shots on target in the third period. Lehtonen finished with 25 saves and a 3-1 record in the series, but he and the rest of the Stars' defense was all out of sorts down the stretch.Dallas got a big break, though, when Goligoski's shot bounced around the goal mouth. Devan Dubnyk didn't appear to see it, and after Charlie Coyle lunged to try to keep it away from the line, the puck glanced off Dubnyk and went in for a 5-3 lead with 9:32 remaining.Pominville slammed in a rebound with 4:47 left, though, setting up the frantic final flurry.Playing at home for the first time since the death of Prince, the Wild took the ice for warmups to the sound of ''1999,'' the dance party hit by Minnesota's musical prodigy. The song is a crowd favorite, but that's also the year the Stars won the franchise's only Stanley Cup, aided by that disputed goal at Buffalo.Most of the current Stars weren't even teenagers then, let alone on the team. None of them were with Dallas in 2008, either, the last time the Stars advanced in the playoffs, with a six-game victory over San Jose in the first round.After the Wild were denied on an early power play, they suddenly found themselves defending a 5-on-3 situation against that dangerous Dallas attack. Coyle was called for elbowing Demers, who appeared to exaggerate the blow to his nose with a slight delay in reaction, to the booing dismay of the fans. Marco Scandella's high stick caught Sharp in the face, and the two-man advantage was set in motion. Klingberg knocked in a one-timer for the early lead to spark a three-goal first period.At the end of a sleepy second period, with the Wild and their fans seeming more than ready for summer vacation, Benn put the Stars in front 4-0 on his top-shelf shot with 24 seconds remaining until the break.But the Wild weren't ready to pack it in, as they proved during the torrid 20 minutes that followed.NOTES: The paid attendance was announced at 19,310, the largest crowd at Xcel Energy Center this season. ... Stars LW Travis Moen saw his first action of the series, replacing Valeri Nichushkin on the fourth line. ... Wild D Nate Prosser was on the ice for the first three Stars goals. ... Benn had two assists and finished with 10 points in the series. ... Dubnyk stopped 19 shots.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The tributes to Prince continued before Game 6 between the Minnesota Wild and the Dallas Stars on Sunday.The Wild held a moment of silence for the late icon, who died Thursday at the age of 57.It wasn't the only way the club remembered the singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who was born in the North Star State and lived there until his death.

If Milan Lucic has his way, he will be off the market come July 1st.The Los Angeles Kings forward is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, but remains set on being a member of the Kings going forward, and would rather avoid the chaos free agency is sure to bring if he hits the open market."The sooner the better," Lucic told LA Kings Insider Jon Rosen, regarding his expected timeline on inking a new contract. "To be honest, I really don't have much interest into hitting the open market or even hearing what's out there, because in my mind this is where I want to be. Why flirt with something when you know what you want."

With a 26-save shutout on Sunday, Braden Holtby backstopped his Washington Capitals to a 1-0 win, helping clinch their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.While advancing to the second round, Holtby also made history by recording the 20th playoff victory of his career, tying Olaf Kolzig for the most in franchise history.He also joined Kolzig as the only Capitals goalies to post a series-clinching shutout, with the former Vezina winner accomplishing the feat in 1998 against the Ottawa Senators.The 26-year-old now has to prepare for what is sure to be an incredible series against the Pittsburgh Penguins - the only team Holtby recorded three losses against during the regular season, finishing with a 2-2-1 record.Despite the tough competition, the netminder is confident his team can handle its upcoming opponent:

The Dallas Stars appear to be sticking with their goalies as long as they win, and after Antti Niemi allowed five goals in Friday's loss, head coach Lindy Ruff is returning Kari Lehtonen to the net for Game 6 on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild.

PHILADELPHIA - Nicklas Backstrom scored, Braden Holtby had 26 saves, and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Sunday in Game 6 to win the series 4-2 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.The Capitals will play the Pittsburgh Penguins, setting up a marquee matchup of Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby.Ovechkin had an assist on Backstrom's second-period goal that was easily enough against the punchless Flyers.Riding the momentum of Michal Neuvirth in net, the Flyers won two straight to force an unlikely trip home. Neuvirth was sensational again, but the Flyers were ultimately doomed by a power play that could not cash in against Holtby. The Flyers wasted nearly 2 minutes of a 5-on-3 power play in the second period that made a critical difference.Holtby, who had a 19-save shutout in Game 1, was barely tested the last two games. The Flyers took only 11 shots against him in Game 5 and matched that feeble total midway through the second period. Most of their shots Sunday came from long range, and the Flyers never really attacked Holtby.The Flyers entered a miserable 1 for 21 on the postseason power play.Backstrom was whistled for a double minor for a high stick and Matt Niskanen was hit 5 seconds later for hooking, giving the Flyers 1:55 of a 5-on-3. The Flyers missed both shots with a two-man advantage. They later got hit with a penalty to make it 4 on 4 and wipe out the one-man edge.Backstrom helped Washington break Neuvirth's shutout streak that stretched nearly 110 minutes when he scored on a one-timer just below the circle with 8:59 left in the second period.The Capitals scored two goals over the final three games of the series and clearly need more from Ovechkin and Co. to have a chance against the Penguins, who beat the Rangers in five games.Against the Flyers, it was just enough, though.Neuvirth replaced the ineffective Steve Mason with the Flyers on the brink of getting swept headed into Game 4. He responded with two fantastic outings, highlighted by his 44-save effort in Game 5's shutout win. He stopped a flurry of shots, including a point-blank one-timer from Justin Williams - late in the first period and skated off the ice to a thunderous standing ovation.He was pulled after 28 saves with 1:30 left in the game for an extra skater. Not even a sixth Flyers skater helped.Neuvirth, who went 18-8-4 with a 2.27 goal against and a .924 save percentage in 32 games, did his share to keep the Flyers in the series. But the Flyers' top line vanished in the series and gave them no real chance at pulling off an upset against the best team in the Eastern Conference. Flyers captain Claude Giroux (67 points) had one assist in the series. Wayne Simmonds (60 points) had two assists.Notes: The Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup since 1975. ... Capitals D Brooks Orpik sat out with an undisclosed injury. ... The team that scored first won five games. ... Ovechkin and Crosby are playing each other in the postseason for the first time since 2009.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Philadelphia Flyers forward Brayden Schenn caught Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie with a hit to the head late in the second period of Game 6 on Sunday.The Capitals forward left for the dressing room and missed the rest of the period, but returned for the third.Oshie challenged Schenn to a fight off the opening faceoff in Game 5 on Friday night, in response to the Flyers center's cross-check on Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov in Game 4.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Vinny Lecavalier isn't changing his mind.The veteran forward met with the local media in Los Angeles on Sunday and confirmed he's still planning to retire, according to Kings beat reporter Jon Rosen.Lecavalier's 17th NHL season came to an end when the Los Angeles Kings were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of their first-round series Friday night.The 36-year-old center said Sunday that he plans to return to Tampa Bay at some point. He played for the Lightning from his rookie season in 1998 to 2013, wearing the "C" for his final five seasons with the club.Lecavalier's agent, Kent Hughes, told ESPN's Pierre LeBrun in January that his client planned to retire at season's end following the trade that sent him to the Kings from the Philadelphia Flyers.He notched 383 goals and 874 points in 1,037 career games, collecting another 56 points in 75 playoff contests.Lecavalier won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2007, and was named to the All-Star Game four times.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

For the second postseason in a row, the Tampa Bay Lightning have had to overcome a flu bug as they advance through the playoffs, but forward Valtteri Filppula assured the illness was out of the dressing room as they now await their second-round opponent.The worst for wear was forward Tyler Johnson, as head coach John Cooper told reporters the 25-year-old was "struggling to sit on the bench" during their series-clinching Game 5 win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday."All of a sudden, the trash can got a little heavier and my body got a little lighter," Johnson described, per Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Cooper added that up to five players were dealing with the flu.During last year's Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Rangers, at least four players (Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Ben Bishop, and Braydon Coburn) were all rumored to be ill. Tampa Bay went on to win the series in seven games.Meanwhile, the Lightning still await the returns of defenseman Anton Stralman and forward J.T. Brown, who remain out indefinitely with lower- and upper-body injuries, respectively. Neither player is expected to dress early in the series.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After inadvertently scoring the eventual game-winning goal for the opposing Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5, the Washington Capitals have scratched defenseman Taylor Chorney for Game 6 on Sunday.Head coach Barry Trotz acknowledged Sunday morning that Chorney has played well in the series, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti, but he will draw out in favor of February trade acquisition Mike Weber.Weber will play alongside Dmitry Orlov on the team's third pairing.

Matt Murray isn't Marc-Andre Fleury, but he's doing a pretty spot-on impression.Murray made 38 saves in a series-clinching 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday, becoming only the second goaltender in Pittsburgh Penguins history - and first since Les Binkley in 1970 - to win each of his first three career playoff starts.The 21-year-old hasn't appeared to be phased by the pressure of the postseason, but he admits he was nervous before making his playoff debut at Madison Square Garden in Game 3."It was hard to control the nerves, but I just wanted to focus on staying in the moment and enjoying every minute of it," Murray said Sunday on ESPN's SportsCenter.He stopped 17 of 18 shots in his postseason debut and turned aside 72 of 75 shots over the next two games while filling in for Fleury, who worked out in full equipment Saturday but remains sidelined with a concussion.Murray suffered a head injury of his own in the final game of the regular season against the Philadelphia Flyers, forcing Jeff Zatkoff to start the first two games of the opening round."It was a little frustrating, for sure," Murray said Sunday. "I was playing pretty well and starting a lot of games. This is my first time playing that many games at this level."Murray went 9-2-1 with a 2.00 GAA, a save percentage of .930, and a shutout in 13 regular-season games for the Penguins before being thrust into the playoff spotlight.He put up similar numbers in the AHL, posting a 2.10 GAA, a .931 save percentage, four shutouts, and a 20-9-1 record in 31 contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.Murray spent parts of four campaigns with Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate after the Penguins made him a third-round pick in 2012.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Imagine, for a minute, Henrik Lundqvist and the Stanley Cup in the same room. Beautiful overload.The New York Rangers were dumped in five games - convincingly - by the Pittburgh Penguins in the first round. As a result, the 34-year-old Lundqvist is watching the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the rest of us, and has to wonder if he'll ever get his name on the silver chalice. After years of 20, 12, 25, and 19 playoff games, Lundqvist started only five this year - and finished only two.So, with "The King" in our thoughts, here's a list of NHL greats whose careers ended short of fulfilling their dream of lifting the Stanley Cup:Pavel BureFew flew like the "Russian Rocket."Pavel Bure was one of the more electrifying players of a generation ago, with unmatched speed and goal-scoring abilities. He ranks 14th all time in playoff points per game with 1.094, thanks to a marvelous run with the Vancouver Canucks when he broke into the league as a 20-year-old.In 1994, when the Canucks went to the final where they lost to the Rangers in Game 7, Bure had 16 goals and 15 assists in only 24 games, firing a remarkable 101 shots on goal. Even more unbelievable: 13 of his goals were scored at even strength.Following another 11-game spring run with Vancouver in 1995 in which he scored another seven goals, Bure would play in only four more playoff games, with the Florida Panthers in 2000. Life isn't fair.Bure finished with 35 goals and 35 assists in 64 career playoff games.Mats SundinSpeaking of unfairness, that brings us to Mats Sundin, who gave the Toronto Maple Leafs the best years of his life, with little to show for them apart from personal success.Always the focal point of the Toronto offense, carrying the Jonas Hoglunds, Fredik Modins, and Lonny Bohonoses of the world along with him, Sundin finished his playoff career with 38 goals - eight of them game-winners - and 44 assists in 91 games.Sundin never got as close as the Stanley Cup Final, though two of his Maple Leafs teams were eliminated as one of final four standing. But as is the case with the rest of the Sundin era in Toronto: It was never his fault.Thank God for that Olympic gold medal.LundqvistAmong goalies who've played at least 115 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, only four have a save percentage equal to or higher than Lundqvist's .918: Dominik Hasek (.923 in 119 games), Ed Belfour (.920 in 161 games), Martin Brodeur (.919 in 205 games), and Patrick Roy (.918 in 247 games). Hasek, Belfour, and Roy are in the Hall of Fame, and Brodeur will join them when he's eligible.What makes Saturday's events - Lundqvist allowed six goals on 23 shots in New York's Game 5 defeat - more stunning is that Lundqvist went into the game with a .923 career save percentage in the playoffs. The Penguins took a a hammer to it.What makes Lundqvist's postseason exploits even much more impressive is when he's had his most success: in his age 29 to 32 seasons, when he won 39 games in the spring.Eric Lindros"The Big E" did some of his best work during the postseason.Eric Lindros' 1.075 points-per-game average in the playoffs ranks 18th all time, and he too tasted playoff success early in his career, in his age 21-23 seasons, when he played 43 playoff games for the Philadelphia Flyers.Lindros was a force when the Flyers waltzed to the Stanley Cup Final in 1997, winning each of their first three series in five games before being swept for the Cup by the Detroit Red Wings. Lindros had 12 goals and 14 assists in 19 games that year, in what Flyers fans thought was surely the first of their club's multiple attempts at glory.That's not the way hockey - or life - works, though. Lindros would play only seven more playoff games for the Flyers, playing only three more with the Dallas Stars in 2007 as a 33-year-old to end his Cup dreams. In his final 10 postseason games, Lindros managed only two goals and two assists, as injuries robbed him of his early dominance.Adam OatesAdam Oates couldn't pass his way to a Stanley Cup - but did he ever try.The Hall of Fame setup man played 163 playoff games throughout his storied career, and he racked up 114 assists and 42 goals. His .957 points per game bests Cup winners Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, and Maurice "Rocket" Richard.Oates went on numerous playoff runs throughout his career. He had 20 points in 16 games in his second taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as a 25-year-old with the Red Wings, 20 points in 13 games with the St. Louis Blues in 1991, 17 points in 21 games with the Washington Capitals in 1998 as a 35-year-old, and his last run was great, too. Oates, in his only playoff appearance with the then-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, had 13 points as a 40-year-old in 21 games in 2003.Oates did it all during his time in the NHL - except win a Stanley Cup. He's not the only one.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

After outscoring the Philadelphia Flyers 10-2 in the opening three games of their first-round series, the Washington Capitals now find themselves heading to a Game 6 after failing to clinch a second-round berth in their first two tries.Despite holding a 1-8 record in their last nine playoff games with a chance to eliminate their opponent, the Capitals aren't concerned about their past postseason struggles."Not worried about it," said defenseman Matt Niskanen, per Jordan Hall of CSN Philly. Friday's 2-0 Game 5 loss - that saw the Capitals outshoot the Flyers 44-11 - marked the first time Washington loss back-to-back games in regulation all season."I don't think this team has any playoff experience," Karl Alzner added, when asked if it was fair to be concerned about the team's postseason history. "It's our first playoffs together. In my opinion, no, sorry to be cheeky. That's the truth I think."As far as head coach Barry Trotz is concerned, the pressure is on the Capitals to close this series out. But after a dominant Game 5 performance that ended in a loss, he doesn't see a need to change his team's approach heading into Sunday's game."Keep playing that way and it'll turn," he said.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The St. Louis Blues are exactly where they didn't want to be.After failing to close out the Chicago Blackhawks for the second game in a row, the Blues head home for Game 7 having completely relinquished momentum to the defending Stanley Cup champions.A 3-1 lead heading into the second period of Game 5 wasn't enough, as the Blackhawks stormed back for five unanswered goals, improving to 15-1 in their last 16 Game 6s.Ahead of Saturday's game, Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said it doesn't matter where the series ends as long as the Blues win, and is expecting his team to respond with the season on the line."They raised the bar," Hitchcock said postgame. "Now it's our turn to answer."Suddenly on the brink of their third consecutive first-round elimination, the Blues season, and potentially Hitchcock's position with the team, hang in the balance."They had a great second, they did what they had to do and now we're in a spot where we've got home-ice Game 7 to determine our season," said Scottie Upshall. "Now it's down to 60 minutes, whoever wants it, gets it. We're in our own building and we're going to take advantage of it."Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Andrew Shaw's return to the Chicago Blackhawks' lineup was a memorable one.Having served a one-game suspension in Game 5, Shaw was back on the ice for Game 6, scoring the insurance marker for Chicago while playing a key role on the Blackhawks' top line in the 6-3 victory.Already a member of two Stanley Cup-winning teams, Shaw marveled at the atmosphere in the United Center on Saturday night, saying it's like nothing he's ever heard."It was probably the loudest I've ever heard the United Center," Shaw told Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I was out there at one point, my ears were buzzing."Andrew Ladd, who won it all with Chicago in 2010 and returned to the Blackhawks at the trade deadline, echoed Shaw's comments."It was amazing," Ladd said. "The loudest probably that I've ever heard the building, which says something."Game 7 goes Monday night in St. Louis.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Dutch Gretzky made his first goal as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks count.Dale Weise bagged his first goal since being acquired from the Montreal Canadiens, in Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues, and the marker was a big one. It turned out to be the game-winner - and the third of five goals in a row - forcing a Game 7 on Monday night.Weise is not only a goal scorer but a title holder:

CHICAGO- Artem Anisimov, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Dale Weise scored during Chicago's dominant second period, and the Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 6-3 on Saturday night to send their first-round playoff series to Game 7.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 6's in the playoffs.Chicago trailed 3-1 in the series, but stayed alive with a 4-3 double-overtime victory in St. Louis on Thursday. Then, the defending Stanley Cup champions trailed 3-1 after one period in Game 6, but found a way again.Game 7 is Monday night.Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and Scottie Upshall scored for St. Louis, which lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Brian Elliott made 30 saves.Trailing 3-1 after one and facing the possible end of their title defense, the Blackhawks roared back with perhaps their best period of the season.With St. Louis center Kyle Brodziak in the box for hooking, Anisimov got Chicago within one when he poked home a rebound opportunity for his third goal of the series. That seemed to spark the Blackhawks, and Elliott made a couple of nice stops on Richard Panik and Marian Hossa to keep the Blues in front.But Chicago only turned up the pressure from there.Panik left the puck for a streaking Jonathan Toews, and the captain slid it over to van Reimsdyk for the tying goal at 12:21. Spurred on by a raucous crowd of 22,260, which stood and applauded for a whole TV timeout at one point, Chicago went ahead to stay when Artemi Panarin passed from behind the net to Weise for a one-timer at 16:18.It was Weise's first goal since he was acquired in a trade with Montreal on Feb. 26. It also was his sixth career playoff score, including a pair of overtime winners during his time with the Canadiens.Shaw's third goal of the series, a power-play tally off a slick pass from Patrick Kane, made it 5-3 at 16:53 of the third, and Hossa added an empty-netter.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Minnesota Wild are looking to a local legend for inspiration ahead of Game 6 against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.Prince, one of the greatest musical talents to walk the earth, died Thursday, and tributes have been rolling in ever since. The Wild, who forced Game 6 with an overtime win Friday, are the latest to pay their respect:

The Arizona Coyotes could have their next general manager in place as soon as next week.That's the latest from club president Anthony Leblanc, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Saturday's "Headlines" segment. There are two leading candidates, Friedman added."That leads to one of two names as the likely choice: Les Jackson, the current director of scouting in Dallas, or John Chayka, who's already the Coyotes' current assistant general manager," Friedman said. "I think it would be a surprise if it came this quick if it was anyone but those two."We're also expecting a higher position for Dave Tippett in addition to coach."

The St. Louis Blues are trying to put away the Chicago Blackhawks, which isn't easy.The Blues blew a 3-1 lead in the second, as the Blackhawks blitzed the Missourians in the second frame, counting three goals on 19 shots in the period.As the teams hit the dressing room, it appeared that Vladimir Tarasenko wasn't too pleased with his coach, Ken Hitchcock. With 14 minutes left in the third period, Tarasenko had played only 12:58 - only 30 seconds more than grinder Troy Brouwer.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Nashville Predators' 2-0 series lead seems like ages ago.After two impressive road wins to begin the postseason, the Predators have allowed the Anaheim Ducks to win three straight and face a first-round elimination for the second year in a row.Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne - who struggled by his standards in the regular season - is taking much of the blame after allowing four goals for the second consecutive game."I feel like I've got to play better," Rinne said, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "I'm getting outplayed."Rinne's stat line in this year's postseason features a 3.02 goals-against average with a troubling .899 save percentage.The 33-year-old didn't receive much help in the loss, as the Predators made seven trips to the penalty box in Game 5.As Nashville's top forwards struggle to score, Anaheim has stolen momentum, and can punch its ticket to the second round with a win Monday night.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

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.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.Pekka Rinne had 27 saves for the Predators, who closed within a goal at 3-2 in the third on Miikka Salomaki's wrist shot before the Ducks put the game out of reach with a pair of goals.Ryan Johansen scored for Nashville 22 seconds before the Ducks tied it in the second.After a scoreless first, the teams combined for three goals in a span of 2:10. Johansen's backhander gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 14:13.Perron scored his first playoff goal 22 seconds later on a slap shot from the point. The puck took a weird bounce, hitting defenseman Roman Josi before Rinne made a desperate stab with his left glove as it sailed over his head and into the net.Garbutt gave the Ducks their first lead of the game at 16:23. He fought off two defenders while digging the puck out of the boards behind the net and stuffing it around the right post.NOTES: The Ducks improved to 5-0-0 in postseason day games over the last 10 years. ... Nashville is 0-8 when losing three of the first five games in a playoff series. ... The Ducks had scored four goals in the first period of the series until Saturday. ... Anaheim has outscored Nashville 16-9 through five games.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

There's no solace in being the most handsome man in the planet. That's how bad Henrik Lundqvist feels Saturday night.The New York Rangers all-world goaltender somehow finished only two of his club's five games in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins, as he was injured in Game 1 and pulled in Games 4 and 5. It's Lundqvist's shortest spring since 2011, with the Rangers bowing out meekly in five games."In the second period, it was a feeling of embarrassment to give up that many goals," Lundqvist said, according to the New York Post's Brett Cyrgalis. "But also a sense of hopelessness. I think we played a team that was smarter, better, and (had) better goaltending."The Penguins put up a four spot in the second, but "The King" graciously faced the media after his team's stunning first-round defeat Saturday, as the competitive window seemingly slammed shut in the Rangers' faces. It was a very un-Lundqvist-like postseason that saw him finish with an .867 save percentage in five games.However, the truth is Lundqvist got no help. The Penguins scored their goals Saturday on 10-bell scoring chances, and the goaltender was left helpless by his teammates. It wouldn't have made a difference who was playing in the Rangers' crease on Saturday - they were losing that game, and losing it handily.And so begins a summer of soul-searching for the Blueshirts, with Lundqvist having turned 34 in early March. He can still play - it's the rest of the roster that's the issue. While his playoffs were certainly a disappointment, the 2015-16 season was the seventh straight in which Lundqvist posted a save percentage of .920 or higher. He remains elite. The same cannot be said for New York's roster, as Pittsburgh proved.Signed through 2019-20, if Lundqvist doesn't win a Stanley Cup when it's all said and done, he'll go down as one of the best to have never done so.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The Florida Panthers are hoping to come home to Nick Bjugstad with the good news that Game 6 is still on.After needing stitches to repair a head wound after he falling face-first into the boards Friday, the Sun Sentinel's Harvey Fialkov reports that Bjugstad didn't travel with his teammates to New York for Game 6 against the Islanders on Sunday, citing a source. The Panthers trail the series 3-2 after losing Game 5 at home in double overtime.Panthers head coach Gerard Gallant said Saturday morning that Bjugstad was day-to-day, and he hoped the center would be able to make the trip. With or without Bjugstad, the job remains the same."We'll see what happens," Gallant said. "But we haven't made any excuses all year and we're not going to make one now."Bjugstad missed time earlier this season with migraines, so he does have head-injury history, giving the report legs. Based on how serious the injury looked at the time - Bjugstad laying on the ice looking stunned after hitting the boards - not traveling north makes sense for the young forward.It's a tough loss for the Panthers. Bjugstad has two goals and two assists in five games, with the 23-year-old clearly enjoying his first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

The New York Rangers find themselves in unfamiliar territory - eliminated after the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.At the hands of a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 on Saturday afternoon, the Rangers were sent packing in the first round for the first time since 2011.The stable blue line that anchored the Rangers to two of the last three conference finals didn't show up this spring, and Henrik Lundqvist unraveled as New York allowed at least three goals in every game of the series.Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault knows the performance wasn't good enough."We all wanted and expected more," Vigneault told reporters after the game.Captain Ryan McDonagh felt the same way."They played better, and simply put, they executed better in all facets of the game - power play, penalty kill, and five-on-five," McDonagh said. "We didn't play well enough. They were a lot better throughout the series, made us pay for our mistakes - and we made way too many. It's tough to grasp right now. We didn't play up to our potential."Lundqvist, who annually is the Rangers' best player, wasn't in top form this postseason, and he knows it."You need to be extremely confident as a goalie to stop those types of shots," Lundqvist said, referring to the Penguins' high-percentage scoring chances in the series. "These last two games I wasn't strong enough to do that."The last two I have to be better. But also the way we played, the way we give up chances, it's going to be tough to win games," he added.Now, the Rangers' front office faces an offseason filled with difficult decisions. Already pressed against the salary cap, New York has choices to make with unrestricted free agents Keith Yandle and Eric Staal - who New York added at the expense of future first-round picks - along with restricted depth players Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, and J.T. Miller.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Ask Sidney Crosby."We went through a lot of adversity throughout the year," the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said after his club sent the New York Rangers packing in five games, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby. "I think we learned a lot about this group along the way."Pittsburgh began the season with lofty expectations, but started extremely slow from the gate, especially Crosby, who had only a goal and four assists through the Penguins' first 11 games.The club's slow start cost head coach Mike Johnston his job, the Penguins turning a corner after Mike Sullivan was given the position. Pittsburgh only got stronger as the season went on.

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.Sullivan kept insisting his team's previous playoff meltdowns against the Rangers had no bearing this time around, pointing to a remade roster infused with inexperience and unburdened by previous playoff disappointments. Yet there was a tinge of ''uh oh'' as New York beat Murray twice in the opening 10:35, doubling its output against him in the previous six periods combined.The 21-year-old Murray dazzled in his first two playoff starts, turning away 47 of the 48 shots in Pittsburgh victories in Games 3 and 4, wins that gave the Penguins control of the series, while simultaneously putting the Rangers in a comfortably familiar position. New York's resiliency when facing elimination has practically become a rite of spring for the Rangers, who came in to Saturday 15-4 in situations when a loss would end their season, a run that includes rallying from a 3-1 deficit two years ago against Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a comeback that sent the Penguins and their star-laden roster into an 18-month malaise that didn't break until Sullivan's arrival as head coach in mid-December.Consider the funk officially over following a 20-minute clinic in the second period that showcased how Sullivan's system - which focuses on playing end-to-end instead of side-to-side - and some midseason roster tweaking by general manager Jim Rutherford have returned Pittsburgh to legitimate Stanley Cup contender status.Tied at two, the Penguins simply skated by the older, slower and decidedly lethargic Rangers. Rust gave Pittsburgh the lead for good by tapping in a pretty feed from Trevor Daley at the top of the slot, the defenseman faking a shot before sliding a pass to Rust at the doorstep 5:21 into the second. The 39-year-old Cullen doubled the Penguins' advantage just over four minutes later when Rust's aggressive forechecking took two Rangers off the puck and left it sitting there for Cullen to whip over Lundqvist's glove.Sheary pushed it to 5-2 when Sidney Crosby skated into the New York zone, drew the Rangers' attention then fed it to the streaking Sheary, whose shot zipped into the top corner. By the time Rust finished off a 2-on-1 by burying a saucer pass from Evgeni Malkin to give the Penguins more cushion than Murray would possibly need, the 421st consecutive sellout at Consol Energy Center was giddily chanting ''Hen-rik! Hen-rik!'' at the person most responsible for Pittsburgh's recent playoff anguish.Instead this time it will be the Rangers who head into the offseason with questions after losing four games to goaltenders who entered the playoffs with zero combined postseason starts.Jeff Zatkoff sparkled in Game 1 to give the Penguins the early momentum, a game in which Lundqvist exited following the first period after getting scratched in the right eye by a teammate's stick. Lundqvist returned to help the Rangers even the series, but it would be New York's last stand. The Rangers were dreadful at Madison Square Garden, stymied by Murray and Pittsburgh's seemingly relentless pressure. When the Penguins' second-period deluge subsided, Lundqvist spent the final 20 minutes of New York's forgettable postseason on the bench in favor of backup Antti Raanta.NOTES: Rick Nash, Dominic Moore and Chris Kreider scored for the Rangers. ... Pittsburgh finished the series 8-of-21 on the power play. The Rangers were 2-of-19 with the man advantage. ... The Rangers scratched Tanner Glass and opted to go with seven defensemen rather than the usual six.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Mercifully, Henrik Lundqvist has been pulled from the New York Rangers' net.Backup goaltender Antti Raanta started the third period between the pipes in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, facing a 6-2 deficit.Pittsburgh exploded for four goals in the second period, but multiple defensive breakdowns were to blame rather than Lundqvist, who was hung out to dry repeatedly.The disappointing performance dropped Lundqvist's save percentage to an uncharacteristic .867 for the postseason. He's stopped pucks at a .923 clip over his playoff career.Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.