BOSTON (AP) Jake DeBrusk watched the tiebreaking goal go into the net from ice level, sliding into the boards on his backside after he was flattened by Toronto defenseman Jake Gardiner.

The Bruins rookie didn't even have time to climb up off his knees before he was mobbed by teammates.

"Jake had a real coming-out party in the series," coach Bruce Cassidy said after DeBrusk scored twice to help Boston beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-4 on Wednesday night and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Like tourists flocking to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Pittsburgh Penguins making a trip to Washington in the playoffs has become a rite of spring.

The Penguins and Capitals will face off in the second round for the third consecutive year with the core groups changed only slightly from past battles. Back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh still has playoff MVPs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Washington still has stars Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom trying to make the Eastern Conference final for the first time.

It took one trip to Las Vegas early in the season for the San Jose Sharks to realize that the fast start to the season for the expansion Golden Knights was no fluke.

So it should come as little surprise to the Sharks that they have to get past Vegas in the second round of the playoffs starting Thursday night to reach the Western Conference final for the fourth time in the past nine seasons.

When the Washington Capitals faced the New York Islanders in the playoffs five years in a row in the 1980s, players knew everything.

They knew where Mike Bossy loved to shoot from, that Bob Nystrom was going to run them over and that they'd better watch out for Denis Potvin in the neutral zone.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) In a season of broken records and firsts for the Columbus Blue Jackets, one of the most important eluded them again: winning a playoff series.

The Blue Jackets' promising season fizzled out in Game 6 of their opening-round series against the Washington Capitals. They were stunning at times - like in the first two games, both won in OT - but glaringly not good enough the rest of the way. Columbus' power play went to sleep, and the Capitals took four in a row, capping it with a 6-3 victory Monday night.

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) It would be easy to say the New Jersey Devils are back after ending a six-year playoff drought.

John Hynes' team went from last in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17 to the postseason in less in the year, riding a career year by left wing Taylor Hall and outstanding first seasons by No. 1 overall draft pick Nico Hischier and Will Butcher. This was a team that made it tough on opponents almost every time it stepped on the ice.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The Buffalo Sabres have signed Victor Olofsson to a two-year contract after he scored a Swedish Hockey League-leading 27 goals last season.

Olofsson was selected by the Sabres in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. The forward has spent the past three seasons in the SHL, collecting 50 goals and 49 assists in 150 regular-season games. Overall, Olofsson had 60 goals and 117 points in 200 games.

Drew Doughty watched other playoff games this season and couldn't believe that George Parros, the NHL's discipline czar, had suspended him for a head shot.

"I saw four hits last night that deserved more than that," the Los Angeles Kings defenseman said.

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) The Calgary Flames have hired Bill Peters as the team's head coach.

The Flames introduced Peters at a news conference on Monday at Scotiabank Saddledome. The 53-year-old from Three Hills, Alberta, resigned as head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday after four seasons and a year remaining on his contract.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) When Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold entered the team's new practice facility a couple of weeks ago, the organizational motto was staring him in the face.

So was the advice he should make a change in the front office, despite his fondness of general manager Chuck Fletcher.