The Pittsburgh Penguins learned Monday night that they will have home-ice advantage in the second round of the playoffs.
The six-seeded Boston Bruins defeated the three-seeded Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Monday night to clinch the series in 6 games.
David Krejci had two goals and one assist, and Tuukka Rask made 27 saves for the surging Bruins who will be a tough out in the second round for their next opponent.
Two former Penguins castoffs, Miroslav Satan and Mark Recchi played big roles in the series for Boston.
Satan scored the over-time winner in game 4 and scored the game winner in game 6.
Recchi added a goal and an assist in Monday’s win and had 5 points in the series.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded Washington Capitals failed to close out their series as Montreal Canadians goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves to force a game 7 in Washington Wednesday night.
Pittsburgh will meet Montreal or Boston in the second round.
For the third straight year, the Capitals will appear in a 7th game in the first round.
Last season the under-dog New York Rangers took Washington to seven games after jumping out to a 3-1 series lead.
Goaltending remains a serious concern for the Capitals. Pressure is mounting on the President Trophy winners and the buzz surrounding who starts in goal Wednesday night will be the storyline for the next 36 hours.
For Pittsburgh, things are starting to fall in place for a potential third straight Stanley Cup appearance.