Ray Emery shutout leads Senators to 3-0 triumph

Minnesota Wild's Wes Walz, left, gets checked by the Anaheim Ducks' Joe DiPenta during the third period of an NHL Western Conference quarter-final playoff game in Anaheim, California, on Thursday. PHOTO: AP

Ray Emery made 20 saves for his first playoff shutout, leading the Ottawa Senators past the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 and victory in their NHL first-round series in five games on Thursday.

Dany Heatley, Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly scored second-period goals.

The Senators scored three times in the middle period and held Sidney Crosby without a point for a second straight game. Crosby led the NHL in scoring this season.

Emery helped Ottawa weather two early 5-on-3s, including one that lasted 1:14 after Dean McAmmond was given a delay of game minor for backhanding the puck over the glass with Wade Redden already in the penalty box.

Heatley scored his second goal of the series on a power play 1:08 into the second and Vermette made it 2-0 when he drove through the slot and scored on Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

Kelly brought the sellout crowd to its feet with a roar once again when he beat Fleury at 17:55.

Ducks 4, Wild 1

At Anaheim, California, the Ducks wrapped up their first-round playoff series against Minnesota in five games after a pre-game skirmish.

Ryan Getzlaf scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, Corey Perry got his first career playoff goal with 9:31 remaining, and Travis Moen added an empty-net goal with 57 seconds left.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, getting his first start in eight games, made 26 saves for Anaheim.

The Ducks' Chris Pronger scored just 1:02 into the game, and Marian Gaborik tied it briefly with a short-handed goal at 15:42 of the second period. But Getzlaf scored less than a minute later.

The teams had a brief pushing match during warmups, with no officials on the ice. The Wild's Derek Boogaard and the Ducks' George Paros, their team's enforcers, exchanged words, then players from both sides crowded to center ice. There was some yelling and pushing, but no punches thrown. The players eventually backed off.

Shortly later, Anaheim's Teemu Selanne was struck in the head by a puck and fell to the ice. It wasn't immediately known who shot the puck.

In other NHL action it was:
Flames 3, Red Wings 2;
Stars 1, Canucks 0, OT