New York Islanders advance to the Eastern Conference

Another impressive showing by the 6th-seeded New York Islanders brought a 4-0 zip over the 3rd-seeded Washington Capitals and into the Eastern Conference semifinals of the restated shortened National Hockey League playoffs played at Scotiabank Arena up in Toronto.

In all five games of this best-of-seven series, the Isles was in charge, combining its young and alert defense to keep the Caps from putting together any runs, and former Washington goalkeeper Seayon Varlamon made 21 saves now in the goal for New York. Even in the 2-1 loss in game four, the Islanders outplayed the Caps, but they lost a 1-0 lead late in the game.

This is a New York team that had played at Nassau Veterans Arena since 1972, and last year played half

the season there and the other half at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but now they look ahead to the new arena going up for them next to Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. And happy to be coached by the respected Barry Trotz, who coached Washington to its first and only Stanley Cup in 2017.

Well, now they can celebrate getting this far after losing their last six times of the first part of the season. First they swept the Florida Panthers in the qualifier, then won the first three over Washington and closed with a burst of energy in another team effort. Both goals came from Anthony Beauvillier, the first midway through the opening period on a power play, the second coming after Beauvillier was knocked down near the goal by a Caps defender, but with the puck in front of him, he rose and sent it past keeper Braden Holtby.

Then, when the Capitals sent Holtby to the sidelines, the Isles gave no ground and buzzed a a pair of shots into the empty net while Washington could do nothing about it. The first came from Nick Leddy around mid court. the second from Josh Bailey.

New York will advance against the 4th-seeded Boston Bruins unless No. 1 Eastern seed Philadelphia Flyers loses its series to the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Philly is up 3-2 and they play Friday. Boston moved on by downing the 5th-seeded Caroline Hurricanes in five games.

Up at Rogers Place in Vancouver Thursday, the 3rd-seeded Dallas Stars got past the 6th-seeded Calgary

Flames, to win the Western Conference series in six games. It was a back-and-forth series, with the Flames winning game one, the Stars coming back to even things, and also winning game three, but again Calgary played big and won 4-1 before Dallas won the next two.

The Stars figure to have a tough test when they face the 2nd-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the semis. Colorado advanced by winning four-of-five over the Arizona Coyotes and looked very good, taking the last two games 7-1 and Thursday, 7-3. It out shot Arizona 23-9, and its red-hot scorer on ice, Denis Gurianov, scored four times, two in the Dallas 5-goal second period after it trailed 3-1 after one. Then the Stars added one more in the third.

It was a game with only five penalties that added up to 10 minutes, but it was a fierce contest until Dallas went on its second-period run.

Friday, in the Western Conference, it will be the 5th-seeded Vancouver Canucks versus the 4th-seeded St. Louis Blues, with the Canucks holding a 3-2 advantage in the series, and getting to play this one in Vancouver at Rogers Place.

The same in the Eastern Conference, with the No. 1 seeded Flyers leading the 8th-seeded Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in games, and they play in Toronto.