The Ottawa Senators and Anaheim Ducks both won Thursday to advance to the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs.
The Senators scored three times in the second period to shut out the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 and win their Eastern Conference best-of-seven series 4-1. The Senators' defense shut down the league's top scorer, Sidney Crosby for a second straight game.
The host Ducks trounced the Minnesota Wild 4-1 to win their Western Conference playoff series, 4-1. Ryan Getzlaf notched the winning tally, and starting goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 26 shots for Anaheim after an eight-game absence.
In other West action, the Dallas Stars stayed alive, edging the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 in overtime. Vancouver leads the best-of-seven series 3-2. Game Six is Saturday in Dallas. The Calgary Flames evened their series with Detroit at two games apiece with a 3-2 victory over the Red Wings. Game Five is Saturday in Detroit.
The NHL post-season continues Friday with the Eastern top seed Buffalo Sabres and the Western Conference San Jose Sharks looking for victories to advance to the next round.
The Sabres host the New York Islanders, and the Sharks are in Nashville to take on the Predators in Game Five action.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils go head-to-head for the lead in their series, which is tied at two games apiece.
