PHILADELPHIA — Nicklas Backstrom scored, Braden Holtby had 26 saves, and the Washington Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 on Sunday in Game 6 to win the series 4-2 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Capitals will play the Pittsburgh Penguins, setting up a marquee matchup of Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby.

Ovechkin had an assist on Backstrom’s second-period goal that was easily enough against the punchless Flyers.

Riding the momentum of Michal Neuvirth in net, the Flyers won two straight to force an unlikely trip home. Neuvirth was sensational again, but the Flyers were ultimately doomed by a power play that could not cash in against Holtby. The Flyers wasted nearly two minutes of a five-on-three power play in the second period.

The Flyers took only 11 shots against Holtby in Game 5 and matched that feeble total midway through the second period.

STARS 5, WILD 4: Jason Spezza scored his fourth goal of the series and added three assists, and goalie Kari Lehtonen and Dallas needed every last one of them to hold off host Minnesota and wrap up the first-round series in six games.

Jared Spurgeon scored two of Minnesota’s four third-period goals, both on the power play, and the Wild came within a fraction of an inch of tying the game with 34 seconds remaining when Nino Niederreiter whacked at a loose puck in the crease.

Freeze-frame replays showed it in the net, but not quite fully across the goal line as it connected with Lehtonen’s right pad, an oh-so-close call that was upheld by review. Jason Demers was there trying to pounce on the puck, too.

ISLANDERS 2, PANTHERS 1: John Tavares tied it in the final minute of regulation and got the winner at 10:41 of the second overtime, leading host New York past Florida and into the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Tavares skated in and fired a shot that Roberto Luongo saved, but the New York captain got the rebound, wrapped around the net and stuffed the puck in to end the longest home game in Islanders history.

The Islanders will next face Tampa Bay.

Thomas Greiss finished with 41 saves in the teams’ second straight double-overtime game and third in the series to go past regulation. The Islanders won 4-3 in the first extra period in Game 3, and took Game 5 in Florida, 2-1, at 16 minutes of the second OT.

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