GAME 4 - Montreal avoids elimination; Chicago sweeps Wild

Goaltender Carey Price stopped 22 shots and Max Pacioretty had a short-handed goal & two assists as the Montreal Canadiens pounded the Tampa Bay Lighting, 6-2, to avoid a sweep in their Eastern Conference semifinals.

Pacioretty and Andrei Markov scored in the 1st period as the Canadiens won their first victory in nine games this season against the Lightning.

With Tampa Bay holding a 3-1 lead, the series returns to Montreal for Game 5 this Saturday night at 7 pm.




Goaltender Corey Crawford made 34 saves and Patrick Kane had a goal & an assist as the Chicago Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference finals for the fifth time in seven years with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild in a four-game sweep.

Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter scored with 2:18 and 1:27 remaining, respectively, to give the Wild one last chance, but the final few shots were either wide or turned aside by Crawford. The Blackhawks improved to 30-0, including 5-0 in this postseason, when leading after two periods.

As they prepare for the West finals, Chicago now awaits the winner of the Anaheim-Calgary series. Currently, the Ducks hold a 2-1 lead with Game 4 to be played this Friday night.