ST. LOUIS — Jaden Schwartz had a hat trick, and rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington made 18 saves as the host St. Louis Blues eliminated the Winnipeg Jets with a 3-2 victory in Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series Saturday.
The Blues will face the winner of the Dallas-Nashville series in the next round of the playoffs.
St. Louis became the first home team to win a game in the series, and the first winning team that didn’t need to overcome a deficit.
Dustin Byfuglien and Bryan Little scored for Winnipeg, and goalie Connor Hellebuyck stopped 33 of 36 shots. Both of the Jets’ goals came in the second half of the third period, after they were down 3-0.
Stars 5, Predators 3
Alexander Radulov and Jason Dickinson each scored two goals as visiting Dallas won Game 5 of its first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with Nashville.
The win gives the Stars a 3-2 edge in the series, putting them a victory away from advancing to the second round for just the second time in 11 seasons. The Central Division-winning Predators, meanwhile, are in danger of missing the second round for the first time in four seasons.
Jamie Benn had three assists for the Stars, while Tyler Seguin contributed a goal and an assist. The top line of Radulov, Benn, and Seguin combined for 16 of the Stars’ 26 total shots. The trio has 16 total points in the series.
Capitals 6, Hurricanes 0
Nicklas Backstrom finished with two goals and two assists, and Alex Ovechkin added a goal and two assists as Washington pounded Carolina in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Capitals took a 3-2 lead in the series and can close out the Hurricanes in Game 6 on Monday night in Raleigh. The winner of this series will meet the New York Islanders.
Tom Wilson finished with a goal and an assist as Washington’s top line — Ovechkin, Backstrom and Wilson — delivered in a big way with four goals and five assists. Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson also added two assists apiece. Goalie Braden Holtby finished with 30 saves, 15 of which came in the second period, to earn the win. — Reuters
