The Washington Capitals drew first blood against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 3-2 victory to start their NHL Eastern Conference semi-finals on Saturday.
Tomas Fleischmann scored the tie-breaking goal with 18 minutes, 14 seconds remaining and rookie goaltender Simeon Varlamov stopped 34 shots to help Washington to their first four-game winning streak in the playoffs since 1991.
Alex Ovechkin and David Steckel also scored for Washington.
Sidney Crosby and Mark Eaton scored for defending Eastern Conference champions the Penguins, who went 0-for-5 on the power play after going 1-for-18 in the final four games of their first-round series against Philadelphia.
Fleischmann got the only goal of the third period.
BLACKHAWKS 6, CANUCKS 3
In Vancouver, Patrick Sharp scored twice to tie it and David Bolland put Chicago ahead with a short-handed breakaway to help the Blackhawks tie their second-round series at a game apiece.
Down 2-0 after power-play goals by Sami Salo and Alexander Edler in the first seven minutes, Chicago took over Game 2 with a strong second period.
Sharp put the Blackhawks on the board midway through, sliding a rebound between the legs of Roberto Luongo, then wiring a one-timer over the goalie’s glove during a five-on-three power play three minutes later.
Bolland gave Chicago their first lead of the series with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left, beating Luongo with a strong forehand deke.
Ben Eager and Patrick Kane extended the lead in the third. Henrik Sedin cut the deficit to two, but Bolland finished with his second goal into an empty net.
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