NHL PLAYOFFS Ducks eliminate top seed

Ottawa overwhelmed Philadelphia to end the Flyers' season.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Mighty Ducks are flying into the Western Conference finals for the first time.
After sweeping defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit in the first round, Anaheim beat the top-seeded Dallas Stars 4-3 Monday night to move within four wins of the Stanley Cup finals.
"Surreal is an understatement. Beating Detroit was an accomplishment. Now, to beat the Stars, it is amazing," said Steve Thomas, who was acquired by the Ducks from Chicago last month and had a goal and two assists in the clinching win over Dallas.
Advancing
Defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh knocked a rebound past Marty Turco with 1:06 remaining that clinched Anaheim's 4-2 series win over the Stars.
The Ducks trailed early against the Stars, then moved ahead only to see Dallas come back to tie twice, the final time on Brenden Morrow's goal with 5:11 remaining.
Then, Ozolinsh scored his first goal of the playoffs after Turco blocked Mike Leclerc's shot from the right circle and the puck bounced out in front of the crease. The sellout crowed of 17,174 erupted.
"The crowd was deafening. That's why we do this," Anaheim rookie coach Mike Babcock said. "We couldn't even communicate with each other. This is beyond our wildest dreams."
"The Ducks played really well all series. They play like a team and they don't turn the puck over," Dallas coach Dave Tippett said. "They have a great goalie [Jean-Sebastien Giguere] and they give themselves a chance to win every night."
Senators 5, Flyers 1
Ottawa scored twice in the first period and twice in the second to overwhelm Philadelphia.
Peter Schaefer got the Senators going less than three minutes in, and Mike Fisher also scored in the first period. Daniel Alfredsson and Bryan Smolinski added second-period goals to make it a rout. Wade Redden had two assists, and Patrick Lalime was sturdy in making 18 saves.
The visiting Senators dispatched the Flyers from the playoffs for the second straight year, this time in six games.
Ottawa, which needed only five games to beat the New York Islanders in the first round, will face New Jersey in the Eastern finals.
Wild 7, Canucks 2
Cliff Ronning scored his first two goals of the playoffs and Marian Gaborik added his league-best ninth for Minnesota.
Richard Park, Jason Marshall, Andrew Brunette and Wes Walz also scored for the Wild, who set a franchise record for goals in a game.
Minnesota still trails 3-2 in the series heading home for Game 6 Wednesday night. Game 7, if necessary, would be back in Vancouver on Thursday.
Brendan Morrison and Henrik Sedin scored for the Canucks, who lost for just the second time in eight games.