Caps, Sens, Blues, & 'Hawks even their series at one

Making just his second NHL postseason appearance, Braden Holtby stopped 43 shots Saturday to lead the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. One game after the Bruins opened the playoffs with a single-overtime victory, Nicklas Backstrom scored 2:56 into double overtime to help the Capitals tie the defending Stanley Cup champions at one game apiece.




Chris Neil, known for his punches, delivered the final blow by scoring 1:17 into overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers to tie the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at one.




Goalies Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak combined for a shutout, the San Jose Sharks put themselves in an early hole when Marc-Edouard Vlasic tapped the puck into his own net, and the St. Louis Blues tied the Western Conference quarterfinals at a game apiece with a 3-0 shutout victory.




Bryan Bickell had his second goal 10:36 into overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-3 to tie the Western Conference quarterfinals at one as the series now heads to the Windy City.