Kessel Named Princeton Women's Hockey Coach

Courtney Kessel (New Hampshire) has been selected as the new women's ice hockey head coach at Princeton University. She succeeds Cara Gardner Morey, who resigned in May to take over as general manager of the expansion PWHL Vancouver club, after eight years at the helm of the Tigers.

Kessel, 35, who served as an assistant coach at Princeton from 2019 to 2023, spent the last two seasons as head coach of the PWHL's Boston Fleet. Prior to Princeton, where she helped the Tigers to the 2019-20 ECAC Hockey regular-season title, she helmed the Toronto Furies (CWHL) and the Ontario Selects U14 in 2018-19. She also helped guide Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship as an assistant coach.

A native of Etobicoke, Ont., Kessel skated four years at UNH from 2007 to 2010, and served as team captain as a senior. She tallied 31 goals and 42 assists for 73 points in 111 career NCAA games at forward/defense with the Wildcats, before going on to play professionally with the Brampton Thunder of the CWHL from 2011 to 2017. She finished her playing career with one season in Europe, and also participated in three World Championships with Canada, winning two silver medals and one gold medal.

Canada Edges U.S. in Shootout at 2023 Women's Worlds

Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) and Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) scored in the last minute of regulation to force overtime, but the United States fell to host Canada, 4-3, in a shootout in a Group A round-robin match at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship in Brampton, Ont.

Jamie Lee Rattray (Clarkson) tallied the decisive goal in the shootout in the ninth round, after Knight and Canada's Brianne Jenner (Cornell) had scored earlier on. Sarah Fillier (Princeton) notched a goal and an assist for Canada in regulation, while Taylor Heise (Minnesota) set up two goals for the Americans (3-1-0). Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) stopped 33 shots in regulation for the U.S. in goal, while Ann-Renée Desbiens (Wisconsin) finished with 26 saves for Canada (3-0-1).

Both teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round that begins on Thursday.

Kessel Lifts Springfield to OT Win in Calder Cup Opener

Matthew Kessel (UMass) picked the right time to score his first professional goal. Kessel connected just over five minutes into overtime to lift the visiting Springfield Thunderbirds to a 5-4 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday in the opener of the AHL's 2022 Calder Cup Final.

Jack Drury (Harvard) opened the scoring for Chicago midway through the first period, before Springfield's Matthew Peca (Quinnipiac) set up a goal by Hugh McGing (Western Michigan) and then scored one of his own before the end of the first frame. Drury then assisted on one of two second-period goals, the go-ahead marker by David Gust (Ohio State), to help the Wolves to a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Less than 30 seconds after Chicago made it a two-goal game early in the third stanza, Tommy Cross (Boston College) pulled Springfield back within a goal, before Dakota Joshua (Ohio State) set up the game-tying goal with less than a minute-and-a-half remaining in regulation. Cross then assisted on Kessel's game-winner in sudden-death OT.  

Charlie Lindgren (St. Cloud State) earned the win in goal for Springfield, making 33 saves on 37 shots. Alex Lyon (Yale) took the loss in net for the Wolves, stopping 30 of 35 shots.

Kessel, 21, a defenseman from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., joined the Thunderbirds this spring after finishing a three-year career at UMass. He tallied 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points and 86 penalty minutes in 100 outings, and was also part of the Minutemen's 2021 NCAA national title team. He notched three assists in 15 regular-season AHL appearances with the Thunderbirds, after being drafted 150th overall by Springfield's parent club, the NHL's St. Louis Blues, in 2020.

Game Two of this year's Calder Cup Final is scheduled for Monday night at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.

NCAA Players Already Signing with NHL

The annual exodus of NCAA players to the professional ranks has begun. 

Nearly a dozen skaters with college eligibility remaining have recently signed pro contracts after this year's NCAA regionals, as follows (players listed in alphabetical order by last name): 

Player            Pos.    Yr.    School         NHL Club

Nick Abruzzese    F       So.    Harvard        Toronto 

Ronnie Attard     D       Jr.    W. Michigan    Philadelphia

Ryan Fanti        G       Jr.    Minn-Duluth    Edmonton

Ty Glover         F       So.    W. Michigan    Pittsburgh

Matt Kessel       D   Jr.    UMass          St. Louis

Andre Lee         F       Jr.    UMass Lowell   Los Angeles

Josh Lopina       F       So.    UMass          Anaheim

Jake Sanderson    D       So.    North Dakota   Ottawa

Clay Stevenson    G       So.    Dartmouth      Washington

More to come, obviously ...

Canada Outlasts U.S. Women's Hockey for 2022 Olympic Gold Medal

For the second night in a row, a United States hockey team came up short at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

After falling behind by three goals in the first 30 minutes of play, the U.S. women's team fought back with two scores of its own, but ultimately fell short, 3-2, to Canada last night in the gold-medal game in Beijing, China.

Canada regains the gold medal it surrendered to the U.S. in a shootout in South Korea four years ago, and has now won five of the seven gold medals awarded all-time in Olympic women's hockey. The Canadians had earlier defeated the Americans, 4-2, during the round-robin portion of this year’s tournament.

After its opening goal was disallowed due to an offside play, Sarah Nurse (Wisconsin) staked Canada to a 1-0 lead after tipping home a shot. Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University) then scored her team’s next two goals, spanning the first and second periods, including the game-winning goal. Poulin has now recorded three game-winners among her seven goals in four Olympic gold medal outings, while Nurse led all scorers in this year's tournament with 18 points, including 13 assists.

Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) tallied a shorthanded goal late in the second stanza to get the Americans on the board. Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) then notched an extra-attacker power-play goal with just 12.5 seconds remaining in regulation, but it was as close as Team USA would get despite outshooting Canada, 16-4, over the final 20 minutes of play.

The U.S. is now 2-4 all-time in gold-medal Olympic contests against Canada, and has earned four silver medals, two gold medals, and one bronze medal (2006) in Olympic competition since women’s ice hockey became a medal sport in 1998. Canada has two silvers (1998, 2018) to go along with its five golds. 

Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) stopped 38 shots for Canada in last night's victory, while Alex Cavallini (Wisconsin) finished with 18 stops for the Team USA. Canadian forward Brianne Jenner (Cornell) took home Olympic MVP honors after scoring a tournament-high nine goals in Beijing.

The U.S. and Canada will now look to renew their Olympic rivalry in 2026 in Italy.

U.S. Women's Hockey Still Undefeated at 2022 Olympics

The United States women's hockey team is off to a 3-0 start at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. Team USA just added an 8-0 win over Switzerland this weekend to earlier triumphs over the Russian Olympic Committee (5-0) and Finland (5-2).

The Americans, who have outshot their opponents so far by an incredible 180-36 margin, have been led in scoring by Hilary Knight (Wisconsin), Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) and Savannah Harmon (Clarkson), who have each tallied five points through three outings. Knight scored two goals in the shutout victory over Switzerland, as did Jesse Compher (Boston University) and Kelly Pannek (Minnesota).

Team USA will now face rival Canada, which is also 3-0, in its next contest (tonight, 11 p.m. ET, USA Network, TSN 2). It will be a rematch of the 2018 gold medal game in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which the U.S. won, 3-2, in a shootout to earn its first Olympic women's hockey title since the inaugural one was awarded in 1998 in Nagano, Japan. 

The Americans will be playing the rest of the way without one of their staples from four years ago in alternate captain Brianna Decker (Wisconsin). The 2012 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top NCAA women's hockey player has been sidelined for the rest of this year's Olympic tournament after she suffered a leg injury in the win over Finland.

ADDENDUM: Despite being outshot by almost a two-to-one-margin, Canada strung together three goals in the second period to defeat the U. S., 4-2. and finish first in Group A, while the Americans placed second. Veteran forward Brianne Jenner (Cornell) scored twice for the Canadians, who also got goals from Jamie Lee Rattray (Clarkson) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University). Ann-Renee Desbiens (Wisconsin) finished with 51 saves in net for Team Canada.

UMass 2021 NCAA Men's Hockey Champions

The University of Massachusetts (Amherst) won its first ever Hockey East tournament title this season. Now it's also claimed its inaugural NCAA championship.

The Minutemen blitzed St. Cloud State, 5-0, on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh to win the school's first men's hockey national title, and first NCAA crown for UMass in any sport since 1998 when football won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.

Five years ago, UMass Hockey won a total of five games under new head coach Greg Carvel. Two years ago, the Minutemen and Carvel made it to their first NCAA championship contest, but were blanked by defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth in Buffalo.

Not this time. This year, it was UMass doing the whitewashing.

Aaron Bohlinger's first career goal early in the first period on Saturday stood up as the game-winner for UMass (20-5-4 overall), before Reed Lebster made it 2-0 with just over a minute remaining in the opening stanza. Philip Lagunov (shorthanded) and Matthew Kessel (power play) then scored in the second period to make it 4-0 for the Minutemen after 40 minutes, before Bobby Trivigno salted away the scoring exactly six minutes into the final frame.

Filip Lindberg made 25 saves for the shutout in his return to the UMass net, after he sat out the semifinal win over Minnesota-Duluth two nights earlier due to COVID-19. Dávid Hrenák made 17 stops for SCSU (20-11-0), in the Huskies' first appearance in the NCAA Division I title game.

It was the first NCAA title for a Hockey East team since 2015, when Providence edged Boston University in Boston. The win by UMass also snapped a string of four straight national title championships by St. Cloud's league, the NCHC. 

NCAA Alumni Among Early NHL Stat Leaders

Former NCAA players were among the league leaders in several statistical categories as the National Hockey League completed its first week of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign that began on Jan. 13.

Vancouver forward Brock Boeser (North Dakota) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) were among those players tied for the overall NHL goal-scoring lead with four goals each. Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry (Michigan State) and Buffalo forward Jack Eichel (Boston University) were one point off the league pace with six points each so far this season, with Eichel leading all NHL skaters with six assists. 

Petry led all NHL blueliners in scoring, with his his six points coming on two goals and four assists. Right behind him in defensive scoring was Vancouver's Quinn Hughes (Michigan) with five assists, tops among league defensemen. 

In net, Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) of Minnesota and Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire) of Pittsburgh were tied for the league lead with two wins each. Philadelphia goaltender Brian Elliott (Wisconsin) was third in the NHL with a 1.31 goals-against average, and second with a .964 save percentage so far this season.

NHL, NCAA and Hockey East Make Summer Moves

 

Things have certainly been changing for college hockey so far this year.

In addition to new recruiting rules and an upcoming new conference, the biggest alteration to date is that Joe Bertagna (Harvard) will be stepping down as commissioner of Hockey East after the 2019-20 season, following 23 years at the helm of one of NCAA Division I hockey's top leagues. The conference has won six NCAA men's titles under his watch, four of those by Boston College, with the most recent national crown coming from Providence in 2015. A former goaltender at Harvard, Bertagna previously worked in administration for the ECAC before taking over Hockey East.

Several former NCAA players have also been on the move in the NHL following the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign in June, including one who played his last year of college this season. Here's a sampling of those moves, through trades or free agency:

- Phil Kessel (Minnesota) from Pittsburgh to Arizona
- Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) from San Jose to Dallas
- Jacob Trouba (Michigan) from Winnipeg to the New York Rangers
- Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) from the New York Rangers to Buffalo
- Dakota Joshua (Ohio State) from Toronto to St. Louis
- Alex Kerfoot (Harvard) from Colorado to Toronto
- Gustav Nyquist (Maine) from San Jose to Columbus
- Anthony Stolarz (Omaha) from Edmonton to Anaheim
- Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) from Philadelphia to Calgary
- Steven Santini (Boston College) from New Jersey to Nashville

Among NHL free agents who re-signed with their original clubs, Anders Lee (Notre Dame) inked a seven-year, $49 million deal to remain as captain of the New York Islanders.

Devils, Flyers Eliminated From 2018 NHL Postseason

The New Jersey Devils’ 2017-18 NHL campaign came to a close on Saturday in Tampa, Florida. The Devils dropped a 3-1 decision to the host Tampa Bay Lightning, who won the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, four games to one. It was New Jersey’s first playoff series appearance since 2012.

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) assisted on the Devils’ only goal of the afternoon, while Cory Schneider (Boston College) stopped 35 of 37 shots in the loss. Tampa Bay advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals against either the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs. Boston currently leads that series, three games to two.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2017-18 season ended Sunday as the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins scored five unanswered goals en route to an 8-5 victory. Pittsburgh, which won its ninth consecutive NHL playoff series dating back to 2016, closed out the Flyers in six games.

Jake Guentzel (Nebraska-Omaha) paced the Penguins with four goals and also added an assist, while Phil Kessel (Minnesota) set up two goals. Pittsburgh will next face the winner of the series between the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets, which Washington currently leads by a three-to-two count.

Penguins Take 3-2 Stanley Cup Final Lead

Justin Schultz (Wisconsin), Bryan Rust (Notre Dame), Conor Sheary (Massachusetts), Phil Kessel (Minnesota) and Ron Hainsey (UMass Lowell) all scored goals as the Pittsburgh Penguins dismantled the visiting Nashville Predators, 6-0, on Thursday night in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kessel also had two assists as the Penguins scored three goals in each of the first two periods, and recorded the first shutout of the series. Pittsburgh, which won Games One and Two at home at PPG Paints Arena last week, rebounded to take a three games-to-two series lead after losing Games Three and Four in Nashville.

The Penguins can clinch their second straight Stanley Cup (and fifth all-time) with a victory on Sunday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC) at Bridgestone Arena in Tennessee. If Nashville wins that evening, the seventh and deciding match will be contested on Wednesday in Pittsburgh to conclude the 2016-17 NHL campaign.

 

Penguins to Meet Predators in Stanley Cup Final

Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) scored his second goal of the game 5:09 into the second overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh will now host the Nashville on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in game One of the 2017 Stanley Cup final.

Conor Sheary (Massachusetts) set up Kunitz for the game’s opening goal in the second period, before Ottawa came back to tie it just 20 seconds later. Justin Schultz wristed home a power-play goal midway through the third period off assists from Kunitz and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) to put the Penguins up, 2-1, but Ryan Dzingel (Ohio State) knotted it for the Senators with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Kunitz slapped a pass home in double OT to send the Penguins back to the final for the second straight season, almost a year after Pittsburgh defeated San Jose in six games to win its first NHL championship since 2009 and fourth overall. Schultz drew the second assist on the winning goal.

The Penguins outshot the Senators on Thursday, 42-29 and scored on their only power-play opportunity.  Ottawa, which went scoreless on two man-advantage opportunities, was seeking is first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2007, when it lost to Anaheim in five games.

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.

Round Two of NHL Playoffs Starts Tonight

The second round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins tonight, with eight teams remaining in the hunt.

Three of the top scorers so far in the NHL postseason were college-trained. Phil Kessel (Minnesota) is third overall with two goals and six assists for eight points for the Pittsburgh Penguins, while T. J. Oshie (North Dakota) is fifth with 3-4—7 points in six outings with the Washington Capitals. Jake Guentzel (Omaha) has posted 5-1—6 totals in six games with the Penguins as a rookie, and leads all NHl players in playoff goals so far this spring.

Among defensemen, Kevin Bieksa (Bowling Green) has four assists in four appearances with Anaheim, while in goal Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) led the Edmonton Oilers to their first playoff victory in 10 seasons with a 4-2 record (2.03, .927) and two shutouts in the first round against San Jose.

The Western Conference gets underway Wednesday, with Nashville visiting St. Louis and Edmonton dropping in on Anaheim. On Thursday, it's the Eastern Conference's turn to get going, as Ottawa will host the New York Rangers while Washington will entertain Pittsburgh.

NCAA Players Prominent in Start to NHL Playoffs

Former NCAA players made their mark during the first two days of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

On Wednesday, Tanner Glass (Dartmouth) backhanded home the game-winning goal for the New York Rangers in a 2-0 victory at Montreal, while rookie Frank Vatrano (UMass Lowell) tied the game for the Boston Bruins in an eventual 2-1 overtime win at Ottawa. Bryan Rust (Notre Dame), Phil Kessel (Minnesota) and Nick Bonino (Boston University) accounted for the Pittsburgh Penguins' goals in a 3-1 win over Columbus.

In Minnesota, Zach Parise (North Dakota) tied the game late for the host Wild, but Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) set up the game-winner in OT to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 2-1 triumph. In Edmonton, Paul Martin (Minnesota) scored the tying goal and Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) assisted on the overtime winner as the San Jose Sharks came back for a 3-2 win over the Oilers, who got 41 saves from Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville).

On Thursday, James van Riemdsyk (New Hampshire) set up the first goal of the postseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but the host Washington Capitals escaped with a 3-2 overtime victory, with T. J. Oshie (North Dakota) and Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) drawing assists on the evening. In Anaheim, Kevin Bieksa (Bowling Green) set up the tying goal and Patrick Eaves (Boston College) assisted on the winner as the Ducks edged the Calgary Flames, 3-2, despite 38 saves by Brian Elliott (Wisconsin).

Penguins One Win from Cup

The Pittsburgh Penguins are one win away from claiming their first Stanley Cup since 2009.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) assisted on Pittsburgh's first two goals on Monday night, and Carl Hagelin (Michigan) set up an insurance tally with just over two minutes remaining in regulation as the Penguins recorded a 3-1 victory over the host San Jose Sharks in Game Four at the SAP Center in California. Pittsburgh now leads the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, three games to one, after dropping Game Three, 3-2, in overtime in San Jose on Saturday night.

The Penguins can clinch their fourth NHL title overall, and fourth since 1991, with a victory in Game Five at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC).

Former Minutemen Trade Goals as Penguins Take 2-0 Lead

The HBK line struck again in another postseason win for the Pittsburgh Penguins, although a pair of former UMass Minutemen traded late goals to decide the outcome.

The line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) combined on Pittsburgh's first goal Wednesday night as the Penguins edged the visiting San Jose Sharks, 2-1, in overtime in Game Two of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

Hagelin stole the puck deep in the San Jose end just over eight minutes into a scoreless second period, and fed Bonino to his left across the slot. Bonino pulled up and sent the puck across the crease, where it glanced off a San Jose stick to Kessel for a tap-in and his 10th goal of the postseason. The HBK line has now totaled 50 points to date in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Penguins have posted a 14-6 record so far this spring.

The NCAA heroics weren't finished at Consol Energy Center after Pittsburgh took the lead.

After San Jose defenseman Justin Braun (UMass) tied the game on a slap shot that went in off the far post with 4:05 remaining in regulation for his first career playoff tally, Conor Sheary (UMass) won it for the Penguins on a wrist shot 2:35 into the overtime session following a face-off.  Braun graduated from Massachusetts in 2010, while Sheary, who also had a goal in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win in Game One on Monday, followed four years later. 

Pittsburgh outshot San Jose, 30-22, while the two squads combined to go 0-for-3 on the power play. The two teams also hit three posts each with shots in regulation.

Game Three is Saturday night in San Jose. The last team to lose the opening two games of the final on the road and still win the Stanley Cup was the Boston Bruins, who rebounded from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games five years ago.

Penguins Force Game Seven

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) combined on an insurance goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, and Nick Bonino (Boston University) tallied an empty-net goal to make it official as the Pittsburgh Penguins survived with a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in Game 6 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 7 is set for Thursday night in Pittsburgh (NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET).

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) scored the first goal of the game on a first-period power play for the Penguins, who built a 3-0 advantage after 40 minutes. Brian Boyle (Boston College) scored both Tampa Bay goals in the third period to pull the Lightning to within 3-2, before Kunitz sent Rust in on a successful breakway with 2:08 left to send the now-tied series back to Pennsylvania for a deciding game.

In the Western Conference final, the San Jose Sharks can clinch their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a victory in Game 6 tonight (NBCSN, 9 p.m. ET) over the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Sharks lead the series, three games to two. San Jose captain Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) has three goals in the last two games for San Jose, and has tallied a league-leading 12 goals and 21 points in 17 playoff contests so far this spring.

Pittsburgh Ties Series with Tampa Bay

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) and Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) assisted on Sidney Crosby’s game-winning goal 40 seconds into overtime Tuesday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, 3-2, in Game Two of their Eastern Conference semifinal series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) scored Pittsburgh’s second goal, assisted by Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Carl Hagelin (Michigan), to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead at the time. J.T. Brown (Minnesota-Duluth) and Matt Carle (Denver) set up Tampa Bay’s second goal in the last minute of the first period, by Jonathan Drouin, that tied the contest. Pittsburgh outshot Tampa Bay, 41-21, overall on the night at Consol Energy Center, while both teams were blanked in a combined total of three power-play attempts, two by the Pens.

The series is now tied at one win apiece, with Game Three to be played Wednesday night in Tampa (7 p.m. ET, NBCSN). It is not yet known if Lightning No. 1 netminder Ben Bishop (Maine) will return from a lower-body injury suffered in Game One on Friday, a 3-1 Tampa Bay victory.

Penguins Eliminate Capitals in Game 6

Jay Beagle (Alaska Anchorage) made the save of the game. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to stop the Washington Capitals’ 2015-16 NHL campaign from ending.

Nick Bonino (Boston University) backhanded home the rebound of a shot by Carl Hagelin (Michigan) 6:32 into overtime Tuesday night to lift the host Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 victory over the Caps in Game 6 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series at Consol Energy Center in Pennsylvania. The goal came several minutes after Beagle had slid through the Washington crease to stick away an opposing shot.

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) also assisted on Bonino’s goal, and scored two goals of his own while Hagelin added another as the Pens won the series in six games. Pittsburgh, which has now won eight of nine Stanley Cup playoff series all-time against Washington, will face Tampa Bay, a six-game winner over the New York Islanders, for the Eastern Conference crown, which was won last season by the Lightning.

The Capitals, who finished with the best regular-season record in the NHL this season, battled back from a 3-1 deficit after 40 minutes with two goals in the third period Tuesday thanks to three consecutive Pittsburgh delay-of-game penalties. Washington, however couldn't complete the comeback and force Game 7, and again couldn’t advance to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1998.