The New York Islanders completed their First Round Series sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 3-1 victory last night on the Penguins home ice. Jake Guentzel scored the Penguins only goal, with assists from Sidney Crosby and Jared McCann 35 seconds into the game. The Pens held that lead for 1-1/2 minutes before the Islanders tied the game. New York would take the lead for good with under two minutes remaining in the first period.
The Pens had the lead for 4:41 of the entire series. Last night’s assist was Crosby’s only point in the series.
The Columbus Blue Jackets completed the First Round Series sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 7-3 victory last night. It was their first playoff series win in franchise history. It also eliminated the team who had tied the NHL regular-season wins total with 62.
Columbus became the first team to sweep a President’s Trophy winner in the opening round since the NHL introduced the award in 1985-86. It is the fourth-ever sweep of a regular-season champion. The other three teams to do so, won the Stanley Cup.