ANAHEIM, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks wouldn’t go down without a fight or two, but the Anaheim Ducks can take a punch as impressively as they took this playoff series from the NHL’s best regular-season team.
Teemu Selanne and Francois Beauchemin scored their first playoff goals 43 seconds apart in the second period, and the eighth-seeded Ducks ousted the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Sharks in the opening round with a 4-1 victory Monday night.
Jonas Hiller made 36 saves to finish his phenomenal playoff series debut for the Ducks, who won a fight-filled Game 6 clincher in a remarkable playoff upset two years after winning the franchise’s only Stanley Cup.
With a dynamic offensive effort that negated all the Sharks’ physical bluster, Anaheim became the third team to beat the NHL’s top regular-season club in the first round since 2000, and just the fifth since 1968.
The Ducks are the eighth No. 8 seed to win a playoff series since 1994, largely dominating the league’s first all-California postseason series in 40 years.
The simmering in-state rivalry boiled into a slugfest with 60 total penalty minutes and a long series of brawls, including a surprising scrap between stars Joe Thornton and Ryan Getzlaf 2 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Thornton pummeled Getzlaf in the fight – but the Ducks center landed the decisive blow with 2:56 to play, scoring an unassisted goal that wrapped up the series.
Corey Perry also scored as Anaheim advanced to face second-seeded Detroit, which swept Columbus out of the first round.
Blackhawks advance
CALGARY, Alberta – The Chicago Blackhawks won their first playoff series in 13 years, eliminating Calgary by beating the Flames 4-1 in Game 6 of their first-round Western Conference matchup Monday night.
Chicago’s previous playoff series win was a four-game sweep of Calgary in 1996.
Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist for Chicago, with Adam Burish and Brian Campbell also scoring. Dustin Byfuglien added an empty-net goal and had two assists. Rookie Kris Versteeg, a Calder Trophy nominee, also contributed two assists.
Todd Bertuzzi notched the lone goal for the Flames, who managed just two goals in the final two games of the series.
Nikolai Khabibulin played a stellar game in the net for the Blackhawks with 43 saves. He robbed Calgary’s Olli Jokinen on scoring chances in the first and second periods.
Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 12 shots.