PITTSBURGH: Alex Kovalev and Arron Asham scored third-period goals 18 seconds apart, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 32 shots to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first-round playoff opener Wednesday. Chris Kunitz sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute. Capitals 2, Rangers 1, OT: At Washington, Alexander Semin scored at 18:24 of overtime as Washington rallied for a win over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series. Red Wings 4, Coyotes 2: At Detroit, Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen scored midway through the second period as Detroit beat Phoenix in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series. Predators 4, Ducks 1: At Anaheim, California, Mike Fisher had two goals and an assist, and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves, as Nashville clamped down defensively on high-flying Anaheim in a playoff series opening victory. Canucks 2, Blackhawks 0: At Vancouver, British Columbia, Chris Higgins and Jannik Hansen scored in the first period, and Roberto Luongo made 32 saves as Vancouver beat Chicago in the playoff opener.
