PHILADELPHIA — Jake Guentzel scored four straight goals to help send the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins into the second round of the playoffs with an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 on Sunday.
The Penguins play the winner of the Washington-Columbus series. Washington leads that series 3-2.
Sean Couturier recorded had a hat trick for the Flyers.
Guentzel led the Penguins to their ninth straight playoff series win.
He tied the game at 4 with 54 seconds left in the second period off a Flyers turnover, then scored the go-ahead goal 30 seconds into the third off another giveaway. He sealed one more lopsided win over the Flyers with goals 10 seconds apart late in the third.
The Flyers lost all three games at home, and not even a solid start in Game 6 could help them get out of the first round for the first time since 2012.
PREDATORS 5, AVALANCHE 0: Mattias Ekholm ignited the offense early, Pekka Rinne stopped 22 shots and top-seeded Nashville advanced to the second round with a Game 6 victory in Denver.
Austin Watson, Filip Forsberg, Nick Bonino and Viktor Arvidsson also scored to help the Predators move on to face Winnipeg.
NOTES
CALDER FINALISTS: Canucks right winger Brock Boeser, Islanders center Mathew Barzal and Coyotes center Clayton Keller are the finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.
Barzal led rookies in points with 22 goals and 63 assists. Keller was second in points with 23 goals and 42 assists, and Boeser was second among rookies with 29 goals despite appearing in only 62 games.
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