89ers complete sweep over Brave Warriors

The Sendai 89ers gave their loyal fans a special Christmas treat: back-to-back home victories over the Shinshu Brave Warriors.

The series finale, an 83-76 Tuesday evening triumph for the 89ers, saw T.J. Cummings scored a game-high 25 points and Yasuaki Arai, a key offseason pickup from the Saitama Broncos, drain 6 of 9 3-pointers and add 24 points.

The 89ers improved to 7-12, while the Brave Warriors fell to 13-9.

Sam Willard had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Sendai. Floor leader Takehiko Shimura scored 10 points, dished out 12 assists and didn't turn the ball over in an inspiring performance.

With Shimura directing the offense, the 89ers had a quality game in terms of shooting percentage; they were 10-for-20 on 3s and 19-for-38 on 2s.

For Shinshu, Takanori Goya was the high scorer, finishing with 23 points, including 5-for-9 on 3-pointers. Jermaine Green scored 20 points and Wayne Marshall added 10.

On Monday, the 89ers defeated the visitors 79-67.

Cummings paced the hosts with a game-high 34 points on 15-for-27 shooting from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kevin Coble had 12 points, Takuya Komoda added 10 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals and Willard had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Shimura contributed six assists and three steals.

The 89ers only attempted five 3s (all misses) in the game. They shot 53 percent from inside the arc (35-for-66).

"On Christmas Eve our players wanted to give our boosters a victory, but we kept stressing that Santa wasn't going to show up and give them a win as a present, only sweat and hard work from the eleven guys in the yellow Sendai jerseys could do that," Pierce said after the game.

"T.J. had a great all-around game, and having a full week of practices really helped," the veteran coach added. "Taku (Komoda) also gave us a slight edge in the battle of the All-Stars (over Goya).

"But I thought one real difference today in following our game plan, was the effort on both ends of the court from Daisuke Takaoka and Spike (Atsushi Nogami)..."

After the series ended, Piere admitted stepped up and overcome adversity to pick up the second win.

"Taku was out today with a sprained ankle — last 11 seconds of yesterday's game — so we asked Daisuke to start and we took a 45-36 into halftime. Then on the first play of the second half Daisuke got hurt," the coach said.

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Athletics sweep Rangers to claim unlikely title

OAKLAND, California — Same chaotic, champagne dance-party scene in the clubhouse just two days later. New T-shirt: AL West champions.

Never give up: Oakland's Brandon Moss runs to first base after hitting an RBI single in the first inning on Wednesday. AP

The Oakland Athletics won the division title with another improbable rally in a season full of them, coming back from four runs down and a 13-game division deficit to stun the two-time defending league champion Texas Rangers 12-5 on Wednesday.

"We knew this is a beast of a team we would have to beat, and to be able to beat them three games in a row and win the division on top of it, really it's a magical-type thing," Oakland manager Bob Melvin said.

Josh Hamilton dropped a fly ball in center field for a two-run error that put the A's (94-68) ahead 7-5 in a six-run fourth inning. Oakland only added to Texas' troubles the rest of the way.

While Hamilton's Rangers (93-69) are headed to the new one-game, wild-card playoff at home against Baltimore on Friday, the A's get two days off before opening the division series at Detroit on Saturday in their first postseason appearance since being swept by the Tigers in the 2006 AL Championship Series.

"It's going to be a tough matchup," Melvin said. "They have a very powerful lineup that can certainly score some runs. They also have great starting pitching. We will have our work cut out for us."

Yankees 14, Red Sox 2

In New York, Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson each hit a pair of homers, powering the Yankees past the Red Sox for their 13th AL East title in 17 years.

Hiroki Kuroda (16-11) shut Boston down with an encouraging performance after struggling through much of September. He allowed two runs and seven hits over seven innings.

Granderson hit his career-best 42nd homer in the second, a three-run shot off Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-7), making his first start since Sept. 19. Cano then connected in the third for a 5-1 lead.

One batter later Matsuzaka was finished, most likely ending his six-year career with Boston. The Red Sox paid $51.1 million to win the rights to the Japanese star and gave him a $52 million contract. Matsuzaka went 33-15 in his first two years, helping Boston win a World Series in 2007. But injuries, including elbow-reconstruction surgery June 2011, marred the last four years and he finished the deal 50-37.

"I didn't expect my six years to end the way it did," Matsuzaka said through a translator. "It has been really hard on me mentally for a while now."

Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-5 with two runs for New York.

Rays 4, Orioles 1

In St. Petersburg, Florida, Evan Longoria homered three times.

White Sox 9, Indians 0

In Cleveland, Dan Johnson hit his first three homers of the season.

Blue Jays 2, Twins 1

In Toronto, Brandon Morrow struck out a season-high 11, and Omar Vizquel wrapped up his 24-year career.

Mariners 12, Angels 0

In Seattle, Casper Wells tied a career-high with five RBIs.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Nationals 5, Phillies 1

In Washington, the NL East champion Nationals secured home-field advantage throughout the postseason with their major league-high 98th victory.

Braves 4, Pirates 0

In Pittsburgh, Jason Heyward singled twice and scored two runs.

Cubs 5, Astros 4

In Chicago, Houston ended its National League tenure with a loss.

Mets 4, Marlins 2

In Miami, Ike Davis hit his 32nd homer.

Rockies 2, Diamondbacks 1

In Phoenix, Jeff Francis earned his first victory in more than a month.

Dodgers 5, Giants 1

In Los Angeles, Clayton Kershaw finished with a major league-leading 2.53 ERA.

Padres 7, Brewers 6

In Milwaukee, Chase Headley drove in two runs.

Norichika Aoki finished 1-for-5 with a run for the Brewers.

Cardinals 1, Reds 0

In St. Louis, rookie Shelby Miller took a no-hitter into the sixth.

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Ferrer, Almagro lead singles sweep in Davis Cup semis

GIJON, Spain — David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro gave Spain a commanding 2-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup semifinal on Friday after doggedly defending their near-perfect clay court records in the competition.

Ferrer overcame a sluggish start to put the hosts ahead in the best-of-five series with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 win over Sam Querrey. Almagro then overcame John Isner's constant fightbacks in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 victory.

The duo improved to 23-1 on clay in Davis Cup action.

Almagro overcame 25 aces from Isner, who saved three match points before hitting a forehand long to leave the defending champions one point away from their fourth final in five years.

The U.S. has only rallied back to win from a 0-2 deficit once in 38 ties — in 1934 against Australia. Since the start of World Group play, Spain is 37-0 after winning both the opening singles.

"After the effort the Americans showed today, we know that final point won't be easy," Spain captain Alex Corretja said. "They've shown they've come here to give everything."

The U.S. has to win Saturday's doubles to stay alive, and will feel confident about its chances with American brothers Mike and Bob Bryan facing Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez.

The Bryan twins are 4-0 when the U.S. is facing a 2-0 deficit, and are 5-0 against Spain.

"Nothing's impossible," U.S. captain Jim Courier said. "There's no clock in tennis and it always comes down to who wins the last point."

Even without Rafael Nadal in the lineup, Ferrer and Almagro showed they could lead Spain to victory.

While Querrey wasted nine break opportunities in the fourth set of his match to lose, Isner took advantage of his lone one in the fourth set of his match to stretch it to a fifth and deciding frame.

As the light quickly faded, neither player relented on serve. Isner fired another ace to save a 16th break point before three of his 124 errors on the day undid him in the final game.

Isner netted on consecutive points to give Almagro his last match point, which the plucky Spaniard converted when Isner's forehand sailed long.

"Those were pretty bad errors, they were simple shots especially from volleys. I should have made all of them," Isner said.

"Maybe fatigue played a part, but I did such a good job of hanging in there the whole fourth set and I sort of gave it away in that last set."

Ferrer, who played in the U.S. Open semifinals on Sunday, started well with a break but eventually surrendered his only two service games of the match for the defending champions to trail after the first set.

Querrey, returning to Davis Cup play for the first time since 2010, failed to maintain his early rhythm and was broken six times by the fifth-ranked Ferrer, whose ability to hold his serve secured a hard-fought victory by saving nine break points in the fourth set to hold off a late charge from his opponent.

"It's never easy to adapt from hard court to clay, and with only three to four days even less," said Ferrer, who is 15-0 on clay in the competition. "I didn't feel too bad but I didn't play perfect tennis either."

Querrey had taken a set off Nadal in his Davis Cup debut four years ago but couldn't hold his early momentum nor secure a late break at the purpose-built Hermanos Castros Park venue, where the wind gusted off the Bay of Biscay and neither player served particularly well to combine for 12 double faults.

"On a couple of them I should have been more aggressive but he played good points," said the 26th-ranked Querrey, who hit 70 unforced errors while failing to convert 12 break chances.

"I feel if I get one of those breaks it could be a different game."

Isner had beaten Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in U.S. away wins at Switzerland and France to come into the Asturian city with a 4-0 record on clay in the competition this season. But the 206-cm American, who is famous for having played the longest match in tennis history, dropped to 0-3 in five-set Davis Cup matches.

Reverse singles are scheduled for Sunday.

The winner plays either Argentina or the Czech Republic in November's final.

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Spurs sweep Clippers

INDIANAPOLIS — The San Antonio Spurs mowed down another opponent, using their guile under pressure to close out another perfect playoff series.

Over and out: San Antonio's Tony Parker takes a shot as Los Angeles' Blake Griffin defends during the Spurs' 102-99 win on Sunday. The Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals. AP

Tim Duncan scored 21 points, Tony Parker added 17 and the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 on Sunday night to win their second-round matchup 4-0 and advance to the Western Conference finals.

"They played great, they made it tough on us," Parker said. "The last 2 minutes we got the stops we needed. Everybody did something."

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and their playoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak in franchise history.

"Until we go all the way, I can't compare this team," said Parker, who has won three NBA titles with San Antonio. "We're just trying to stay focused."

Danny Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Thiago Splitter had 11 each for the Spurs.

San Antonio could find out as soon as Monday night who it will play next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, with Game 5 on Monday.

"We haven't done anything yet. We've won two rounds," Duncan said. "We haven't done anything so you can't qualify or classify our team as anything other than that we've gotten this far."

The Spurs trailed much of the fourth until tying the game twice in the final 3:32 before their 30-something trio of Duncan, Parker and Ginobili took over most of the scoring.

"Their experience showed with their execution," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "Tim looks great and the rest of the guys are feeding off that."

Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists, Blake Griffin added 21 points, and Eric Bledsoe had 17 for Los Angeles, which blew a six-point lead in the fourth quarter when Paul faltered in the final two minutes, usually a time when the All-Star guard is at his best.

Both nursing injuries, Griffin and Paul combined to score 21 of the Clippers' 28 points in the third quarter when they took their first lead of the game. In the fourth, Bledsoe came up big, scoring 11 in a row, to extend the lead to 90-85 with 5:38 remaining.

Heat 101, Pacers 93

In Indianapolis, LeBron James scored 40 points with 18 rebounds and nine assists, and Dwyane Wade added 30 points — 22 in the second half — as Miami rallied to even its semifinal series against the Pacers, who had the defending Eastern Conference champions down but couldn't keep them there.

"I felt like I had to do whatever it took to win," said James, who played all but four minutes.

With All-Star forward Chris Bosh injured and back in Florida, the James-Wade tag team saved the Heat, who will host Game 5 on Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"Me and 'Bron had it going," said Wade, who bounced back from the worst playoff game of his career — five points on 2-of-13 shooting — with one of his best, "We played off of each other very well. We both were aggressive at the same time. That's beautiful basketball for the Miami Heat when we play that way."

The Heat now head home back in control of the best-of-seven series, which is down to a best-of-three with two of the games on Miami's home floor.

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Kings looking for sweep after defeating Coyotes in Game 3

On the brink: Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) scores past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Thursday in Los Angeles. The Kings won 2-1. AP

LOS ANGELES — When Daymond Langkow beat Jonathan Quick on a breakaway and celebrated Phoenix's first lead in the Western Conference finals, captain Dustin Brown was almost curious how his Los Angeles Kings would respond to the first serious adversity they've faced in weeks.

Their answer told Brown that this unbelievable bunch of Kings is almost ready to play for the Stanley Cup.

Anze Kopitar scored the tying breakaway goal just 2:07 later, Dwight King added the winner early in the third period and Los Angeles rolled to the brink of its first Stanley Cup final in 19 years with a 2-1 victory in Game 3 on Thursday night, taking a 3-0 lead in the West finals.

Quick made 18 saves, and the eighth-seeded Kings improved to 11-1 in an undeniably charmed run through the NHL postseason by a franchise with 44 seasons of frustrating, Cup-free history.

For the third straight series, the West's final playoff team will play for a sweep in Game 4.

"Phoenix was a lot better tonight, but we found a way to win," Brown said. "That's what it takes this time of year. It's exciting. There's a lot of guys in here that haven't experienced this . . . but the thing that's made this work is how we're handling all this. We're up 3-0 again."

Although the Kings trailed for the first time in nearly 18 periods since April 28, they bounced back swiftly before largely controlling the third period. King scored his fourth goal in three games against the Coyotes, who face a deficit only three teams have overcome in NHL playoff history.

King connected 1:47 into the third, beating Mike Smith high to the glove side. The massive rookie scored two goals in the series opener and added the winner in Game 2.

"Everybody is answering the challenge and being better," said King, who has outscored Phoenix all by himself in the series. "We're playing good, playing consistent. With the way we're going, we're tough to beat right now."

Smith stopped 26 shots in a standout performance for the third-seeded Coyotes, who must win four straight to reach their first Stanley Cup final.

"None of us planned on being in (a 3-0 hole)," Phoenix's Shane Doan said. "I don't think it's disbelief, but I think it's (disappointment)."

In front of a long-suffering crowd gratefully enjoying its unexpected good fortune after decades of disappointment, the Kings dominated the third period in front of Quick. They forechecked relentlessly in the final minutes, forcing Smith to play a long stretch without his goal stick because Phoenix couldn't clear the zone so he could retrieve it.

The crowd soaked in another memorable performance during the best playoff run by this Second Six franchise since Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille led Los Angeles to its only conference title in 1993, while the Coyotes wondered if their own remarkable postseason run has any chance of continuing beyond Sunday.

"We want to play with a lead, but we didn't even have a chance," Phoenix's Mikkel Boedker said. "They got a breakaway and came right back. . . . They're a good team, and we know that, but the series isn't over. We still have time to win it."

Los Angeles largely dominated the first two games of the series in Glendale, outshooting the Coyotes 88-51 while winning by a combined 8-2. Phoenix had no more luck than Vancouver or St. Louis against the surprising No. 8 seeds, who finished two points behind the Pacific Division champion Coyotes in the regular season before steamrolling the West's top two teams in a combined nine games.

"We'll take a couple of days here and rest up, and what have we got to lose?" Phoenix coach Dave Tippett asked. "We'll come here and play as hard as we can. We'll give a real honest evaluation of who we are and how we got here."

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Dodgers sweep Nats

LOS ANGELES — The Washington Nationals came to town with the lowest team ERA in the majors and got a chance to unveil two of their best offensive prospects. The Los Angeles Dodgers outpitched manager Davey Johnson's staff and got a number of key hits along the way for a three-game sweep.

I got it: Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper reaches for a fly ball on Sunday in Los Angeles. The Nationals loss to the Dodgers 2-0. AP

Chris Capuano struck out nine while combining with two relievers on a four-hitter, James Loney drove in two runs with a bases-loaded single and the Dodgers wound up with a 2-0 win Sunday.

At 16-6, the Dodgers matched their best start since 1981 and moved 10 games over .500 for the first time since July 11, 2010.

"We've got a great mix of guys, and we're going to need that through the long season to win games," Loney said. "A big hit, a big defensive play, and big baserunning play — all that stuff is going to matter. And it's going to take all of us to do that."

Capuano (3-0) allowed three hits and two walks in 6? innings, helping send the Nationals to their fourth straight loss and first shutout defeat of the season after they entered the series with a 14-5 record. They had a combined total of three runs and 11 hits in 21? innings against Capuano, Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley.

"They pitched us pretty tough and kept the ball in on us the whole series, and we didn't really make a lot of adjustments," Johnson said. "But they've got a pretty good pitching staff over there. We pitched good enough to win, but it just wasn't good enough."

Cubs 5, Phillies 1

In Philadelphia, Matt Garza pitched one-hit ball for seven shutout innings and struck out 10 batters as Chicago beat the Phillies.

Brewers 3, Cardinals 2

In St. Louis, Zack Greinke worked six strong innings and Jonathan Lucroy's two-run double capped a three-run sixth.

Norichika Aoki pinch-hit for Grienke in the seventh and recorded a hit.

Braves 4, Pirates 3

In Atlanta, Tim Hudson labored through five tough innings to win in his return from back surgery, and the Braves held on in the ninth to beat Pittsburgh.

Diamondbacks 8, Marlins 4

In Miami, Wade Miley held the Marlins hitless until the sixth inning and Jason Kubel drove in three runs for Arizona.

Mets 6, Rockies 5 (11)

In Denver, Ike Davis singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning for the Mets.

Giants 4, Padres 1

In San Francisco, Pablo Sandoval homered to back Madison Bumgarner's fourth straight win.

Reds 6, Astros 5

In Cincinnati, Jay Bruce's fourth home run in four games, a tiebreaking shot in the eighth inning, lifted the Reds to a comeback win over Houston.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Yankees 6, Tigers 2

In New York, CC Sabathia steadied his team's rocky rotation with eight sharp innings and Alex Rodriguez passed Willie Mays for eighth on the career RBIs list.

Rays 5, Rangers 2

In Arlington, Texas, David Price beat the Rangers for the first time in 10 career starts.

Indians 4, Angels 0

In Cleveland, Derek Lowe pitched three-hit ball into the eighth inning and the Indians scored three runs on Angels errors.

White Sox 4, Red Sox 1

In Chicago, Gavin Floyd carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer.

Kosuke Fukudome was 1-for-3 with a walk for the White Sox.

Orioles 5, Athletics 2

In Baltimore, Wilson Betemit hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning after Matt Wieters doubled in two runs, giving the Orioles an unlikely victory.

Twins 7, Royals 4

In Minneapolis, Josh Willingham had three hits and the Twins snapped a six-game losing streak.

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 2

In Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit his third home run in three games for the Blue Jays, and Jeff Mathis added a two-run shot.

Seattle's Munenori Kawasaki was 1-for-3 and Ichiro Suzuki finished 0-for-4.

OAKLAND, California — A person with knowledge of the negotiations says third baseman Brandon Inge has agreed to sign with the Oakland Athletics.

The deal is pending a physical and final paperwork, the person said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity because nothing had been finalized and the A's were yet to make a formal announcement.

Inge was released by the Tigers on Thursday after batting .100 (2 for 20) with one home run and two RBIs this season.

He fills a huge void at third, where the A's lost projected starter Scott Sizemore to a season-ending knee injury.

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Mavs eliminate Lakers, sweep Jackson to retirement

Break out the brooms: Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki takes a shot against the Lakers on Sunday in Dallas. The Mavericks routed the Lakers 122-86 to sweep their playoff series. AP PHOTO

DALLAS — Phil Jackson walked off the court with a tight smile, shaking hands and accepting congratulations like he has after so many series-ending playoff games.

Never like this, though.

His team didn't win; they were crushed. Swept, too.

And he wasn't just heading to the offseason — he's calling it a career, ending the most successful run by any coach in NBA history.

Jason Terry and the Dallas Mavericks ended Jackson's tenure, and the Lakers' reign as two-time champions, with a 122-86 victory Sunday. After two tight finishes and another game that was relatively close, the Mavs turned this one into a rout in the second quarter.

With Terry, who had a game-high 32 points, leading the way, Dallas hit a barrage of 3-pointers to go ahead by 24 at halftime. When he made 3s on consecutive possessions early in the third quarter, Los Angeles knew it wasn't going to come back in this game or the series.

Things got ugly early in the fourth, with vicious, frustration-fueled cheap shots by Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum getting them ejected 45 seconds apart. But at game's end, Dallas coaches, players and team owner Mark Cuban lined up to bid farewell to the Zen Master.

"It's been a wonderful run," Jackson said.

The 65-year-old Jackson has retired before, but he insists it's for good this time. While he goes out with the sour taste of his first sweep in 21 postseasons, and his second-widest margin of defeat, it can't override all the sweet days.

A Hall of Famer since 2007, he leaves with a record 11 titles, and only 10 series losses. Take away Red Auerbach, who won nine championships, and Jackson won more titles than any two coaches combined.

Jackson won six championships with Michael Jordan, three with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and the last two with Bryant leading the way.

He had to be talked into coming back this year. The lure of chasing a 12th title, bundled neatly as four three-peats, did it, but he knew it would be tough with a team worn down by three straight years of reaching the finals.

"(That) puts a lot of strain on the basketball club from all angles: personalities, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and getting charged up for game after game and assault after assault when you go in and play a team," Jackson said. "It was a challenge bigger than we could beat this year."

Atlanta AP

Josh Smith seemed to do it all. He attacked the basket. He defended. He rebounded. He made brilliant passes. He even won a crucial jump ball against a taller player.

There was only one thing Smith didn't do — park himself on the outside, putting up shots beyond his range.

The Atlanta Hawks were just fine with that.

Smith answered his critics with a huge game — 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists — and fill-in Jeff Teague came up with the Derrick Rose-like plays down the stretch to lead the Hawks past the Chicago Bulls 100-88 Sunday night, evening the Eastern Conference semifinals at two games apiece.

The Hawks snapped a nine-game home losing streak in the second round, their misery dating to a May 13, 1996, win against Orlando.

Smith is frequently criticized by Atlanta fans for his inconsistent play. He heard nothing but cheers in this one, largely staying away from the jumpers, dominating on the inside and finding the open man.

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Red Wings sweep Coyotes; Capitals top Rangers in 2OT

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Danny Cleary shot from behind the post, squeezing the puck through a hole seemingly no wider than a skate blade. Todd Bertuzzi muscled an opponent and the puck to the front of the crease, getting a fortunate bounce to find the net.

Hanging on: Buffalo's Tyler Myers controls the puck as Philadelphia's Ville Leino tries to slow him down in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night. AP PHOTO

Two goals in 2 minutes and the Detroit Red Wings were headed into the next round, the Phoenix Coyotes toward an uncertain future.

Detroit counterpunched Phoenix's best shot through two periods and dominated with a flurry in the third, sweeping the Coyotes out of the playoffs and possibly out of the desert with a 6-3 victory Wednesday night.

"We knew they were going to come out and play with their best effort and I thought they did, but we really wanted to win tonight," Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said.

So did Phoenix. With the ownership situation still brewing at two years and counting, the Coyotes wanted to go out as winners in what could be their last game in the desert.

Detroit won Game 3 on four quick-hitting goals during a whiteout at Jobing.com Arena and used its depth to wear down Phoenix in a Game 4 that was more of a dusting of white, but just as juiced.

Tomas Holmstrom, Patrick Eaves and Niklas Kronwall scored in the goal-trading first two periods, then Cleary squeezed a deflating score between goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's skate and the post with 6:19 left in the game. Bertuzzi made it a two-goal lead by knocking a shot off Coyotes defenseman David Schlemko's skate 1:53 later, and Eaves sealed the sweep with his second goal on an empty net.

Capitals 4, Rangers 3 (2OT)

In New York, Jason Chimera scored in double overtime to complete Washington's three-goal comeback that pushed the Rangers to the brink of playoff elimination.

New York scored three times in the second period to take a 3-0 lead and seemed poised to head back to Washington for Game 5 on Saturday with the series squared. But the top-seeded Capitals fought back and moved within one win of advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Alexander Semin started Washington's rally, and Marcus Johansson scored twice in the third to make it 3-3.

The Rangers built their big lead on a goal by Artem Anisimov and tallies just 7 seconds apart by Marian Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky.

Penguins 3, Lightning 2 (2OT)

In Tampa, James Neal scored the winner in double overtime as Pittsburgh beat Tampa Bay to take a 3-1 series lead.

Neal gathered a loose puck along the boards and sent the winning shot past goalie Dwayne Roloson.

Sabres 1, Flyers 0

In Buffalo, the hosts beat Philadelphia to even their series 2-2, with Ryan Miller making 32 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs.

Jason Pominville scored at 9:38 of the first period.

Ducks 6, Predators 3

In Nashville, Anaheim's Corey Perry's netted a short-handed goal early in the third period put the Ducks ahead to stay.

Cam Fowler had a power-play goal and an assist, and Ryan Getzlaf, Brandon McMillan, Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu added goals as the Ducks tied the series 2-2.

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