(Adds quotes, other matches)
* Kings shock top-seed Canucks
* Predators pip Red Wings
April 11 (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Kings pulled off a 4-2
upset road win over the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks to take a
1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final
series on Wednesday.
The teams were tied at 2-2 after two periods before Dustin
Penner tipped in the game-winning goal at 16:46 in the third.
Dustin Brown added an insurance marker in the final seconds
to help the Kings draw first blood against the defending Western
Conference champions on their home ice.
In the day’s other Western Conference series opener in
Nashville, Gabriel Bourque scored twice on his post-season debut
as the Predators overcame Detroit’s rich playoff tradition to
forge a 3-2 win over the Red Wings.
Detroit is playing its 21st consecutive post-season, a
longer span than the Predators have existed, but Nashville met
the challenge to move ahead 1-0 in the series.
Pekka Rinne had 35 saves for the Predators and defenseman
Shea Weber drew a roughing penalty at the buzzer for a series of
hits on Henrik Zetterberg.
“It’s playoffs,” Weber told reporters. “He hit me from
behind, so we’ll see (if there is further discipline form the
NHL).”
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Flyers
dealt Pittsburgh a body blow in the opening game of their
series, fighting back from a three-goal deficit to win 4-3 in
overtime.
After going 3-0 down to the Penguins in the first period,
Danny Briere started Philadelphia’s revival with a goal in the
second and another midway through the third before Brayden
Schenn tied the score at 3-3 to force overtime.
Jakub Voracek then scored the game-winning goal early in the
extra period to give the Flyers the road victory in the opener
of their best-of-seven set.
“We have to find a way (to reverse our poor starts), but at
the same time it makes it a special win,” Briere said.
Familiarity has bred contempt between the Penguins and
Flyers, who played each other three times in the final three
weeks of the regular season, including an April 1 encounter
studded with fights.
The home team came out strongly on Wednesday and took a 3-0
lead on goals from Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy and Pascal
Dupuis.
Briere, playing in his first game since taking a big hit
against the Penguins that sparked the fights in the game at the
start of the month, got the visitors within striking distance,
then drew a penalty to put the Flyers on the power play.
Schenn, who added two assists, took full advantage of the
extra man to score the Flyers’ third and send the game into
overtime.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by John
O’Brien/Amlan Chakraborty)
