Here we go again.

The Washington Capitals defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 6 of their first-round series, thereby advancing to Round 2 where they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins for the third consecutive year.

Columbus built a 2-0 lead in the series, only to see Washington win the next four after reinstating Braden Holtby as the starting goalie in lieu of Philipp Grubauer.

Washington will enter the second round as the higher seed, but after having lost to the Penguins in each of the past two postseasons. Pittsburgh won in six games in 2016 and prevailed in seven last year, and went on to win the Stanley Cup both times.

This will be the third time these two teams have met in the playoffs in the Alex Ovechkin/Sidney Crosby era, with Pittsburgh also winning in the second round back in 2009.

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TORONTO (AP) Frederik Andersen stopped 32 shots to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Monday night, forcing a decisive Game 7 in the first-round series.

William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Tomas Plekanec scored for the Maple Leafs, who trailed the series 3-1 before winning two straight. They also trailed 1-0 early in the second period of this one. Nikita Zaitsev added two assists, and Marner and Plekanec each had one.

Jake DeBrusk scored for the Bruins, and Tuukka Rask - pulled in Game 5 at home, finished with 27 saves.

Game 7 is Wednesday night in Boston with the winner advancing to face Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference semifinals..

There was a moment of silence before the opening faceoff at Air Canada Centre to honor the 10 people killed Monday when a van mounted a sidewalk in Toronto's north end and struck multiple pedestrians. Fifteen others were injured.

Scoreless after an end-to-end first period, the Bruins grabbed a 1-0 lead 1:02 into the second when David Krejci won a faceoff after an icing against Auston Matthews right to DeBrusk, beat Andersen between his arm and body.

Toronto responded just 35 seconds later when Nylander buried a rebound of Jake Gardiner shot from the point for his first goal of the playoffs.

The Leafs appeared to go ahead at 3:04 when Zach Hyman beat Rask with a no-look backhand as he fell to the ice. The Bruins challenged the play for goalie interference, and replays showed the forward knocked the stick out of Rask's hands as he cruised through the crease just before scoring.

Boston appeared to control the play after that as Toronto could barely get out of its own zone or complete a clean breakout. Andersen - who recorded 42 stops in a 4-3 victory in Game 5 on Saturday - made great saves off Rick Nash, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron to keep things level.

The Maple Leafs, however, wend ahead with 6:35 left in the period when Marner was quickest to a loose puck in the slot and beat Rask with a backhand to the far post after Marchand couldn't clear.

Toronto killed off its first penalty early in the third, and was then left fuming when David Backes elbowed Andersen in the mask, but was only assessed an offsetting roughing minor when Roman Polak came to his goalie's defence.

The Leafs couldn't connect on their third power play moments later, and Andersen stoned Sean Kuraly with under 10 minutes to go.

Rask then robbed Nylander off a great feed from Auston Matthews.

The Bruins went back to the power play with under six minutes left, but the best chance came when Rask stopped Kasperi Kapanen on a 2-on-1 that turned into a breakaway before stoning Krejci on a one-time shot that brought the towel-waving crowd to its feet.

Rask followed that up by stopping Matthews on another 2-on-1 off a pass from Plekanec before Plekanec sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:14 to play.

Both goalies were on their game in the first as the clubs combined for 27 shots on goal, including 17 from Boston.

Andersen made a nice stop on Nash less than two minutes in after a Maple Leafs turnover before Rask, who allowed four goals on 13 shots before getting pulled in Game 5, fought off Zaitsev's point shot.

Marchand came close when his shot off another turnover struck the inside of Andersen's pad and bounced out the other side.

Rask held the fort on the game's first power play, and Andersen followed up with his second incredible stick save of the series when he swatted a Backes attempt from in tight with Nash lurking.

NOTES: The Maple Leafs fell behind the Bruins 3-1 the last time the clubs met in the playoffs back in 2013 before tying the series 3-3 with back-to-back 2-1 victories. Toronto then became the first team in NHL history to blow a three-goal lead in the third period of a Game 7 as the Bruins stormed back from a 4-1 deficit and won 5-4 in overtime. ... Coming into these playoffs, teams that take a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven series hold an all-time record of 270-28 - good for a success rate of 90.6 per cent. ... The Maple Leafs have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series 15 times, with their only victory coming in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final when they stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings.

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Shortly after their equalizer brought the score to 1-1, it appeared the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped out to their first lead of Game 6 after Zach Hyman banged home a loose puck in the crease.

But then, the Boston Bruins decided to challenge for goaltender interference, and after a review from the referees and the league office, it turns out head coach Bruce Cassidy had a reasonable hunch, as the tally was quickly reversed.

Here's another angle, which shows Hyman made contact with Tuukka Rask's stick in the crease before tucking the puck underneath his pad.

After the non-goal and subsequent review, Mitch Marner put the Maple Leafs ahead for real with just over seven minutes remaining in the second frame.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs issued a statement in advance of Game 6 against the Boston Bruins after nine people were killed and 16 injured as multiple pedestrians were struck by a van Monday afternoon.

The game will go on as scheduled, but with increased security measures inside and outside the arena, where hundreds of fans are set to gather to watch.

"The Toronto Maple Leafs and MLSE are keeping all of those impacted by today’s tragic incident in Toronto in our thoughts and prayers. Our organization continuously works in close partnership with Toronto Police Service, and other security agencies, to ensure the safety of all fans attending games at Air Canada Centre, including playoff tailgate events at Maple Leaf Square.

"In addition to the safety measures already in place, Toronto Police Service will be implementing a number of additional measures including road closures surrounding Air Canada Centre tonight to create the safest environment for our fans watching in Maple Leaf Square, as well as providing enhanced security inside Air Canada Centre."

Puck drop is set for shortly after 7 p.m. ET.

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Henrik and Daniel Sedin could ride off into the sunset with more hardware.

The retiring legends are the Vancouver Canucks' co-finalists for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, the NHL announced Monday.

This honor is awarded annually to the player (or potentially players, in this case) who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his (or their) community.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno won it last year and Henrik was the 2016 recipient.

Here is the full list of finalists:

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed head coach Jared Bednar to a one-year contract extension, general manager Joe Sakic announced Monday, according to Paul Klee of the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Bednar is coming off the second year of his original three-year contract, meaning he is now signed through the 2019-20 season.

"He's done an amazing job," Sakic said, adding that they agreed on the extension last week.

After Bednar's miserable first season with the Avalanche, in which they finished with just 48 points and the worst record in the salary-cap era, the club took a huge step forward this season, clinching a playoff spot and pushing the Presidents' Trophy-winning Nashville Predators to six games.

"I really believe in (Bednar) and his entire staff," Sakic said. "He's done a tremendous job and has earned everything he's gotten."

Under Bednar, this year's Avalanche were 47 points better, the biggest improvement of any team this season.

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The Minnesota Wild's season was prematurely put to bed, and the team's owner isn't enjoying the afterglow.

Craig Leipold offered an adult-themed analogy when asked Monday to follow up on a comment that his team hasn't been good enough.

"I just don't see us with this team getting to the (Stanley Cup Final)," Leipold told reporters, including The Athletic's Chad Graff, as he addressed the decision to not renew general manager Chuck Fletcher's contract. "I think we're a good team but not good enough right now."

A reporter then asked what "good enough" looks like, to which Leipold replied, "It's like pornography. You know it when you see it."

The Wild have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last six campaigns, but lost in the opening round in the last three and failed to advance past the second round during Fletcher's nine-season tenure.

There's a joke in there about going unfulfilled, but we're not going to make it.

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Bill Peters got ahead of the awkward questions at Monday's press conference, where he was introduced as the new head coach of the Calgary Flames.

During his introduction, he took the time to apologize to former Carolina Hurricanes netminder Eddie Lack - who began the year with the Flames before being dealt to the New Jersey Devils - for harshly criticizing his play.

"You won't get the Eddie Lack soundbite," Peters said, according to TSN's Jermain Franklin.

"That was a mistake, not a proud moment as a coach," Peters added, according to The Athletic's Craig Custance. "A little over the top."

Here's his 2017 soundbite in full:

Lack was limited to just eight games this season split between the Flames and Devils, where he went 2-4-0 with a .870 save percentage and 4.00 goals-against average.

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Chuck Fletcher's tenure as general manager of the Minnesota Wild is over, as the club revealed Monday that it will not renew his contract.

The search for a new GM will begin immediately. Brent Flahr, the team's senior vice president of hockey operations, will serve as acting GM until a replacement is found.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said Monday that the coaching staff will remain in place, according to The Athletic's Chad Graff.

Minnesota made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, but lost in the first round in each of the last three years and failed to advance past the second round on Fletcher's watch.

Fletcher shaped the Wild roster for the last nine campaigns after being hired in May 2009.

He signed forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter to dual 13-year, $98-million contracts on July 4, 2012, and drafted the likes of forwards Mikael Granlund and Jason Zucker (2010), as well as blue-liners Jonas Brodin (2011) and Matt Dumba (2012).

Fletcher also acquired goaltender Devan Dubnyk from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round pick in 2015.

He was the second GM in Wild history after Doug Risebrough.

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The Dallas Stars are casting a wide net as they look for their next head coach.

The club has compiled a list of potential candidates that currently has roughly 10-15 names, with no current front-runner, according to The Athletic's Craig Custance.

The list could be trimmed down to five-to-eight names over the next couple of weeks, Custance reports, explaining that the Stars are waiting for some AHL coaches to finish their playoff runs, and NHL playoff teams could produce some candidates as well.

Dallas reportedly spoke to Bill Peters about the position, but the Calgary Flames are expected to announce they've hired him Monday afternoon.

The Stars' vacancy behind the bench opened after Ken Hitchcock retired from coaching at the conclusion of the season. Last offseason, he signed on for one year.

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