Canadiens stun Penguins in Game 7 of playoffs

The Montreal Canadiens followed up a monumental upset by pulling off another, and now the Penguins are joining the Washington Capitals in sitting out the rest of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Brian Gionta had two power-play goals, Mike Cammalleri scored his seventh goal of a series and the Canadiens built a stunning four-goal lead before beating the host Penguins, 5-2, last night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Believe it, Canadiens. Disbelieve it, Penguins.

Montreal, the last team to get into the NHL playoffs and about the last team anyone would have picked to beat the top-seeded Capitals, much less the reigning NHL champion Penguins, accomplished what no team has done since the current playoffs format was adopted in 1994.

When it ended, the Canadiens crowded around goalie Jaroslav Halak, who made 37 saves in a performance not quite as dominating as that in Montreal's 2-1 elimination win of Washington, but one that sent the Penguins home and shut down the NHL's oldest arena.

Flyers 2, Bruins 1

Michael Leighton stopped 29 shots in his first start in nearly two months to help streaking Philadelphia force Game 7 in Boston tomorrow night. Philadelphia's postseason appeared over after it lost the first three games. Not now. The Flyers are on the brink of history - and a spot in the Eastern Conference finals against Montreal.

The 1942 Maple Leafs and the 1975 Islanders are the only NHL teams to overcome 3-0 deficits to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Mike Richards and Danny Briere scored for the Flyers. - AP