PHILADELPHIA (AP) Jake Guentzel dropped to his right knee and slid on the ice in celebration [url=http://www.flyersshoponline.com/authentic-james-van-riemsdyk-jersey]Adidas James Van Riemsdyk Jersey[/url] , not only for his second career postseason hat trick, but for the goal that assured Pittsburgh was moving on in the playoffs.He has established his playoff pedigree as a sensational scorer in just two seasons and helped keep a third straight championship in sight for the Penguins.Guentzel scored four straight goals to help send the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins into the next round with an 8-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 on Sunday.The Penguins play the winner of the Washington-Columbus series in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Washington leads that series 3-2.Guentzel scored six goals in the series and added another hat trick to pair with the one he had as a rookie in a first-round series last season against the Blue Jackets.”He has the ability to play his best when the stakes are the highest. We have a team that does that,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ”They embrace adversity. They embrace the struggle. Our team doesn’t get rattled. They embrace the challenge.”Guentzel had the third four-goal playoff game in team history, joining Mario Lemieux in 1989 and Kevin Stevens in 1991.”This is what you want to play in,” Guentzel said. ”You grow up dreaming about this and this is definitely fun. When the bounces start going your way, you just try and run with it.”Sean Couturier had the 24th playoff hat trick for the Flyers, who haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975. Couturier said he played with a torn right MCL suffered in a collision with a teammate at practice last week.”I couldn’t move that well, so I just tried to be well-positioned, have good sticks,” he said.Guentzel, not Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel or the injured Evgeni Malkin, won the game for the Penguins with goals off costly Flyers turnovers, leading them 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. He scored 30 seconds into the third for the lead off another giveaway [url=http://www.flyersshoponline.com/authentic-christian-folin-jersey]Adidas Christian Folin Jersey[/url] , and sealed one more lopsided win over the Flyers with two goals 10 seconds apart late in the period.It was 2-2 after one period, 4-4 after two, and nothing was decided in the fiercest game of the series between the longstanding rivals until Guentzel took control.The Flyers, who survived a 10-game losing streak just to make the playoffs, lost all three games at home and not even a solid start could help them get out of the first round for the first time since 2012.Couturier had been the Flyers’ postseason savior, returning from a serious leg injury to score the Game 5 winner and then open Game 6 with his third goal of the series just 2:15 into the game.The Penguins, who won Games 3 and 4 in Philly, took aim on the road sweep with two straight goals. Crosby, naturally, tied the game when he knocked in a rebound off Kris Letang’s point shot for his whopping sixth goal of the series. His goal was still being announced when Carl Hagelin made it 2-1 when he was left all alone in front of the net for the easy goal.Philly’s defense was nonexistent and the Flyers had no bodies on Crosby and especially Hagelin on the gimme goals against Michal Neuvirth.Andrew MacDonald tied it 2-all on a sizzling shot. The defenseman briefly gave his team the spark needed to go toe-to-toe with the Penguins. Couturier scored his second of the game on a beautiful breakaway to open the second period and Scott Laughton scored on a long wrister and nearly pulled off a Lambeau Leap over the boards in celebration.Matt Murray should have stopped the goal – the kind of bad goal usually allowed by the Flyers – and the crowd derisively chanted his name.Patric Hornqvist scored his second of the series to pull the Penguins to 4-3.The series had been more cordial than confrontational but both teams cranked up the nastiness levels in Game 6. Penguins forward Carter Rowney cross-checked Travis Konecny and roughed him up on the ice while the officials just watched. Konecny jumped up and – like a wrestling heel smacking his opponent with a steel chair – cracked Sheary in the back with his stick and was whistled for roughing. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol gave the refs an earful while the fans howled as the hits were shown on replay.But that was about the last crowd-pleasing play by the Flyers. The Flyers failed to take a shot on goal until nearly 12 minutes into the third period and Couturier capped his three-goal game with 2:53 left to play.Bryan Rust scored an empty-netter with 30 seconds left to ensure the Penguins got all four of their wins by at least three goals.Hart Trophy candidate Claude Giroux scored only one goal in the series for the Flyers.”I know for a fact that we got better as the season went on. Look at our team last year and look at our team this year,” he said.NOTES: Malkin was scratched with a leg injury. … The so-called home ice edge in Philly lost some shine with large pockets of empty seats for a must-win Game 6. … The Penguins scored five-plus goals against the Flyers eight times in 10 games this season.— LAS VEGAS (AP) William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault each scored to help the expansion Vegas Golden Knights clinch a playoff spot with a 4-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night.The Golden Knights, who lead the Pacific Division, became the first team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season since the league expanded for the 1967-68 season.It was also the 200th career victory for coach Gerard Gallant.Alex Tuch and Shea Theodore also scored for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury improved to 28-11-4 after stopping 28 shots.Erik Johnson scored for the Avalanche and Semyon Varlamov made 26 saves.The Avalanche hold a wild card in the Western Conference [url=http://www.pittsburghpenguinsteamshops.com/authentic-matt-cullen-jersey]... Matt Cullen Jersey[/url] , just in front of St. Louis.CAPITALS 4, RANGERS 2NEW YORK (AP) – Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 45th goal and Washington extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over New York.T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington. Nicklas Backstrom, who had four assists in a win over Montreal on Saturday, added two more to give him 44 this season. Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves.Washington increased its lead to five points over two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh for first place in the Metropolitan Division.Lias Andersson scored in his NHL debut and Mats Zuccarello added a goal for the Rangers.The Capitals scored four goals in the first period and cruised from there.KINGS 3, FLAMES 0LOS ANGELES (AP) – Anze Kopitar tied a career high with his 34th goal, Jonathan Quick made 23 saves and Los Angeles moved back into playoff position by shutting out Calgary.Dion Phaneuf had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who tied Anaheim for third place in the Pacific Division at 91 points. They also passed Colorado (90 points) and St. Louis (89) in the Western Conference wild-card race.Jeff Carter also had a power-play goal.Mike Smith stopped 26 shots for the Flames, who were eliminated from playoff contention. Calgary has been outscored 28-7 during a six-game losing streak.SHARKS 4, BLACKHAWKS 3, SOCHICAGO (AP) – Kevin Labanc scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout and San Jose beat Chicago for its eighth straight victory.Labanc almost pulled to a stop in front of Blackhawks goalie Anton Forsberg, faked and then lifted in a nifty backhand. Logan Couture also connected in the tiebreaker for the surging Sharks, whose winning streak is their longest in seven years.Chicago’s Patrick Sharp tied it at 3 with 2:22 left in the third period. Tomas Hertl had put the Sharks ahead 3-2 just 1:57 earlier.San Jose’s Evander Kane scored his 28th goal – his eighth in 13 games since being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline. Marcus Sorensen also had a goal for the Sharks.Rookie forward Alex DeBrincat scored his 26th goal and had an assist, and Connor Murphy scored his second for the last-place Blackhawks [url=http://www.pittsburghpenguinsteamshops.com/authentic-jimmy-hayes-jersey]... Jimmy Hayes Jersey[/url] , who have lost six of seven.Martin Jones made 28 saves through overtime and stopped three of four Blackhawks in the shootout.PANTHERS 3, ISLANDERS 0NEW YORK (AP) – Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and an assist, and James Reimer stopped 32 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as Florida moved closer to a playoff spot by blanking the reeling New York Islanders.Keith Yandle also had a goal and an assist, and Nick Bjugstad scored to help Florida win for the 13th time in 17 games (13-3-1). The Panthers moved within a point of idle New Jersey for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. They have eight games remaining, one more than the Devils.Reimer, who has 21 career shutouts, won his fifth straight start with his second shutout during that stretch. The 30-year-old goalie improved to 7-1-0 since returning from an injury Feb. 12.Christopher Gibson finished with 38 saves for the Islanders, who were eliminated from postseason contention for the second straight year with their 14th loss in 16 games (2-10-4).COYOTES 4, LIGHTNING 1TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist to lead Arizona over Tampa Bay.The Coyotes got two goals from defensemen as Trevor Murphy and Jacob Chychrun each scored to help Arizona improve to 17-12-6 since January. Brendan Perlini also scored for the Coyotes, and Antti Raanta had 19 saves.Chychrun scored the winner on the power play at 17:22 of the second period.The Lightning played without captain Steven Stamkos, who missed the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Tampa Bay has lost consecutive games for the second time in 10 days. Since scoring seven goals against the New York Islanders on Thursday, the Lightning have two goals in two games.CANADIENS 4, RED WINGS 2MONTREAL (AP) – Brendan Gallagher scored twice [url=http://www.pittsburghpenguinsteamshops.com/authentic-derek-grant-jersey]... Derek Grant Jersey[/url] , including his 30th goal of the season, and Carey Price snapped a seven-game losing streak as Montreal defeated skidding Detroit.Paul Byron and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens in a matchup of Original Six franchises already eliminated from playoff contention. Price made 26 saves for his first win since Feb. 4. He had been 0-5-2 since then.Gustav Nyquist and Tyler Bertuzzi scored for Detroit, and Jared Coreau stopped 27 shots in his fifth game of the season. He is 0-4-0.The Red Wings have won just once in their last 14 games (1-12-1).HURRICANES 4, SENATORS 1RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut, and Carolina beat Ottawa.Brock McGinn and Valentin Zykov scored 98 seconds apart in the second period, Sebastian Aho had an empty-netter with 1:59 remaining and Derek Ryan had two assists to help the Hurricanes win their third straight.Bobby Ryan scored and Craig Anderson stopped 26 shots for the Senators, who lost their fifth straight and have been outscored 22-7 in their last four. The Hurricanes beat them twice in three nights by a combined 9-3 score.Cam Ward made 19 saves for Carolina, which recalled Foegele from its AHL affiliate in Charlotte during a day off Sunday.SABRES 3, MAPLE LEAFS 2TORONTO (AP) – Jack Eichel scored his second goal of the game midway through the third period to help last-place Buffalo end Toronto’s club-record home winning streak at 13 games.Casey Nelson had the other goal for Buffalo, which got 39 saves from Chad Johnson to end a four-game slide. Zemgus Girgensons added two assists.Patrick Marleau had a goal and an assist, and Nazem Kadri scored for Toronto. Frederik Andersen made 24 stops for the Leafs, who were also looking to set a franchise mark for victories in a season with 46.—