Highlights of Wednesday's NHL games

[April 20, 2017]  April 19 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Wednesday's National Hockey League games:

Ducks 3, Flames 1

The Anaheim Ducks scored a pair of early goals and hung on for a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday at the Scotiabank Saddledome to sweep their way into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Anaheim plays the winner of the series between the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, who are tied 2-2, in the second round of the playoffs.

Patrick Eaves, Nate Thompson and Ryan Getzlaf (empty net) scored for Anaheim, which won its Western Conference first-round playoff series over the Flames, 4-0.

Goaltender John Gibson made 36 saves to redeem himself after being pulled during the second period of the Ducks' come-from-behind 5-4 victory over Calgary in overtime two nights earlier.

Sean Monahan scored for the Flames, who have lost seven straight games to the Ducks and 15 of 16 dating back to the second round of the 2015 playoffs, when Anaheim ousted Calgary in five games.

Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 4

Tom Wilson and T.J. Oshie scored two goals apiece and the Washington Capitals defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Wednesday night to even their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series 2-2.

Alex Ovechkin also scored for Washington while Nicklas Backstrom added two assists. Braden Holtby made 30 saves for the Capitals.

Zach Hyman, James van Riemsdyk, Auston Matthews and Tyler Bozak scored for Toronto. Mitch Marner and William Nylander each had two assists, and Fredrik Andersen stopped 22 shots for the Maple Leafs.

Washington led 4-1 at the end of the first period and 4-2 after the second.

Senators 1, Bruins 0

Craig Anderson turned aside 22 shots and Bobby Ryan scored 5:49 into the third period as Ottawa took a 3-1 best-of-seven series lead on Boston.

Erik Karlsson's shot from the blueline was intentionally wide and Ryan, getting behind rookie Charlie McAvoy, poked the puck past Tuukka Rask (26 saves) and just over the goal line past a diving Zdeno Chara. It was Ryan's third goal of the series.

Anderson stopped two Brad Marchand breakaways in the first period en route to his fourth career playoff shutout. He also stopped Marchand, who had six shots on goal, twice after Rask was pulled for an extra attacker.

Wild 2, Blues 0

Charlie Coyle and Martin Hanzal scored in the first two periods and Devan Dubnyk made 28 saves to record his second career playoff shutout as Minnesota stayed alive in a first-round series with St. Louis.

Blues goaltender Jake Allen's first mistake in the series set up the first Wild goal, with 3:10 left in the first period. Allen was caught behind the net as he played the puck, and it went directly to Coyle, who scored his second goal of the series.

The Wild, who trail 3-1 in the series, never had a lead at any point in the first three games but were determined as they took the ice and it showed in the first period. At the time of Coyle's goal, they were outshooting the Blues 11-1.

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