Both NHL Conference Finals Now Tied

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) scored off his own rebound with 6:55 remaining in regulation Tuesday as the Pittsburgh Penguins blanked the visiting Ottawa Senators, 1-0. Game Three of the NHL Eastern Conference Final, which is now tied at a game apiece, will be played on Wednesday in Ottawa.

Elsewhere in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Nashville Predators will host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday in the NHL Western Conference Final that is also tied at one game apiece. Anaheim tied the series at home on Sunday with a 5-3 victory, as Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) posted one assist.

Ducks Extend Kesler's Contract

The Anaheim Ducks signed forward Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) to a six-year contract extension yesterday. The Livonia, Mich. native tallied 20 goals and 27 assists for 47 points last season in 81 NHL regular-season contests, and then added 7-6—13 points in 16 Stanley Cup Playoff games as the Ducks fell one game short of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kesler, who spent two years with the U.S. National Team Development Program before enrolling at OSU, posted 11-20—31 points in his lone NCAA campaign with the Buckeyes in 2002-03. He turned pro the following season after being drafted 23^rd overall that summer by the Vancouver Canucks, with whom he spent 10 seasons and came within a game of a Stanley Cup championship in 2011.

He also prepped with Manitoba (AHL) before becoming a full-time NHL player, and joined Anaheim last summer in a trade that included Vancouver's 3rd round choice in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Kesler, who has also skated for the United States in two Winter Olympic Games, where he earned a silver medal in 2010, has put up 202-238—440 points and 669 penalty minutes in 736 NHL regular-season outings. He also has 19-32—51 points in 73 Stanley Cup Playoff appearances, per NHL.com.

Blackhawks Back in Stanley Cup Final

A California-Florida Stanley Cup Final will have to wait at least another season.

 

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) scored the game's first two goals, and Duncan Keith (Michigan State) recorded two assists as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the host Anaheim Ducks, 5-3, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final at the Honda Center. The Hawks won the series, four games to three, after rebounding from a three games-to-two deficit.

 

Chicago, which stayed alive by winning Game 6 at home on Wednesday, raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second period on Saturday before Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) notched Anaheim's first goal. The Ducks would get within 4-2 in the final frame before the two squads exchanged power-play scores for the final tally. Anaheim outshot Chicago, 38-26.

The Hawks, who claimed the NHL crown in both 2010 and 2013, will open the 2015 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday at the Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning (8 p.m., NBC). The two teams split a pair of meetings during the regular season.

Ducks Push Blackhawks to Brink

The Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup Playoff overtime winning streak is over, and their 2014-15 campaign is now also one game away from ending.

Matt Beleskey's goal 45 seconds into sudden death on Monday night boosted the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-4 victory over the Blackhawks at the Honda Center. The Ducks now lead the best-of-seven NHL Western Conference Final, three games to two.

Anaheim raced out to a 3-0 lead early in the first period, the second goal coming from Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) on a deflection. The Blackhawks closed to within 3-2 by the end of the second stanza, with Patrick Sharp (Vermont) setting up both scores, before Anaheim regained the two-goal lead in the third period.

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) then scored twice in a 72-second span late in the final frame to send the contest into overtime, where Beleskey ended it by putting home a rebound from Kesler.

Chicago had won all four extra-time contests it had played this spring, all in multiple OTs, including its two wins so far in this series. Both teams had 28 shots on goal Monday, and both went 0-for-2 on the power play.

The Blackhawks will try to stay alive at home on Wednesday night at the United Center in Game 6.

Blackhawks Tie Series, 5-4, in Second Overtime

 

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) scored one goal and set up another, and Patrick Sharp (Vermont) set up the winning score in the second overtime as the Chicago Blackhawks edged the visiting Anaheim Ducks, 5-4, on Saturday night at the United Center in a Stanley Cup Playoff bout. The best-of-seven NHL Western Conference Final is now tied at two games apiece.

The Blackhawks led, 1-0, after 20 minutes and went up, 3-1, early in the third period before Anaheim scored three times in 37 seconds to take a 4-3 lead. Patrick Kane then tied the game for Chicago on a power play, and Sharp was stopped on a partial breakaway in the first overtime before assisting on Antoine Vermette’s game-winner in the second extra session.

 

Duncan Keith (Michigan State) clocked in at over 40 minutes of ice time for the second time in three games, including Chicago's triple-overtime victory in Game 2 at Anaheim. Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) assisted on Anaheim’s first goal of the night, while Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) scored the Ducks’ third goal.

 

Game 5 will be played Monday night at the Honda Center in California.

U.S. Men Advance to Semifinals in Sochi

The U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team has advanced to the semifinal round at the XXII Winter Olympic Games with a 5-2 win over the Czech Republic today at Shayba Arena in Sochi, Russia.

James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire), Dustin Brown, David Backes (Minnesota State), Zach Parise (North Dakota) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) all scored for the Americans, who got 21 saves from Jonathan Quick (Massachusetts). Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) had three assists for the U.S., while Ryan Kesler (Ohio State) set up two American goals. Ales Hemsky tallied both times for the Czechs.

The U.S. will now face Canada, a 2-1 quarterfinal winner today over Latvia, on Friday for a berth in Sunday’s gold medal game, where the winner will play the winner of Finland-Sweden.