Pittsburgh Penguins reach NHL Eastern Conference Final

Marc-Andre Fleury on Wednesday stopped 29 shots as the Pittsburgh Penguins punched their ticket to the NHL Eastern Conference Final with a 2-0 win over the Washington Capitals.

The Sidney Crosby-led Penguins continued their playoff domination of Alex Ovechkin's Capitals, winning the second round series in the seventh and deciding game.

Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist scored goals for Pittsburgh who will face the Ottawa Senators in the Conference Final.

Rust made it 1-0 midway through the second period, and Hornqvist doubled the lead early in the third.

Pittsburgh eliminated the Presidents' Trophy-winning Capitals in the second round for the second season in a row, and the Penguins have won nine of 10 postseason series between the teams. During that time, Pittsburgh is 4-0 in game sevens.

The Penguins are now 3-0 against the Capitals in series played during the Crosby-Ovechkin era. The previous two times the Penguins eliminated the Capitals, they went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Fleury earned his ninth career playoff shutout, while Braden Holtby stopped 26 shots for Washington.

(AFP)