NHL Playoff Capsules

PITTSBURGH (AP) - 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 on Wednesday night.

Chris Kunitz sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute in the Penguins' first postseason game in their new arena. Brooks Orpik had two assists.

Fleury earned his fifth playoff shutout, one short of tying Tom Barrasso's franchise record.

The Lightning were held scoreless following a regular season in which they finished second in the Eastern Conference with 247 goals. Fifth-seeded Tampa Bay is in the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Game 2 is Friday at Pittsburgh.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Alexander Semin scored at 18:24 of overtime and Washington rallied for a win over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series.

Semin took a centering pass from Jason Arnott, after the Rangers failed to clear the puck out of their end, and scored with a one-timer past Henrik Lundqvist.

New York defenseman Matt Gilroy broke a scoreless tie with a one-timer 1:56 into the third period, and Alex Ovechkin tied it during an intense poke-at-the-puck scramble at the crease with 6:16 left in regulation.

Michal Neuvirth made 24 saves to win his NHL playoff debut. Lundqvist stopped 31 shots.

Game 2 is Friday night in Washington.

DETROIT (AP) - Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen scored midway through the second period to put Detroit ahead, and the Red Wings went on to beat Phoenix in Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round playoff series.

Brian Rafalski and Jiri Hudler padded Detroit's lead late in the second period and early in the third.

Jimmy Howard made 26 saves for the third-seeded Red Wings.

Kyle Turris scored 2:16 in to put Phoenix ahead in his playoff debut. Radim Vrbata had a goal midway through the third period to pull the sixth-seeded Coyotes within two goals, but they couldn't get any closer.

Ilya Bryzgalov stopped all nine shots he faced in the first period, but gave up three goals on 17 shots in the second. He finished with 32 saves.

Game 2 is Saturday in Detroit.