NHL Playoff Capsules

WASHINGTON (AP) -Tomas Plekanec scored 13:19 into overtime to give the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the top-seeded Washington Capitals on Thursday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series.

Plekanec beat Jose Theodore with a drive from the high slot.

Mike Cammalleri scored for Montreal on a power play in the first period, and Scott Gomez tied it at 2 with 12:26 to play. Jaroslav Halak stopped 45 shots.

Joe Corvo had a first-period goal, and Nicklas Backstrom scored early in the third for the Capitals, whose top-rated power play went 0 for 4. Theodore made 35 saves.

Two-time reigning league MVP Alex Ovechkin did not have a shot on goal.

Game 2 is Saturday night in Washington.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Ryan Miller made 38 saves, and Craig Rivet scored the go-ahead goal with slap shot from the right circle with 6 minutes left in the second period in Buffalo's playoff-opening victory over Boston.

Thomas Vanek also scored in Buffalo's first playoff game in three years.

Miller stoped 23 shots in the second period alone, in building on a stellar season in which he won a franchise-best 41 games and backstopped the United States to a silver medal at the Vancouver Games.

Mark Recchi scored for the Bruins, who finished the regular season on a 8-3-1 roll to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference quarterfinal is Saturday in Buffalo.