Ducks down Caps to clinch NHL Pacific title

Anaheim Ducks made the most of their make-up day, downing the Washington Capitals 2-0 to clinch the Pacific Division title as the NHL regular-season went into overtime.

The Ducks-Caps clash was one of two games that were snowed out this season and made up a day after the scheduled end of the regular season.

The Ducks earned their fourth consecutive division title, slipping ahead of the Los Angeles Kings by one point after winning the NHL's final regular-season game. They'll face the Nashville Predators in the opening round of the playoffs, which start on Wednesday.

In New York, the Philadelphia Flyers scored five unanswered goals between the first and third periods in a 5-2 victory over the Islanders.

The Flyers were already assured of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and a first-round clash with the Capitals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Washington are the top overall seeds and will have home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

With the defeat, the Islanders go into the playoffs as the first wild card and will face the Atlantic Division champion Florida Panthers.

Had they won the Islanders would have set up a meeting with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will instead face the New York Rangers.

With the campaign officially complete the NHL announced its regular-season awards.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane captured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring champion, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin claimed his sixth career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL’s goal-scoring leader and the Anaheim Ducks tandem of Frederik Andersen and John Gibson shared the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders who play at least 25 games for the club allowing the fewest goals.

Kane finished the season with a career-high 46 goals, 60 assists and 106 points.

Ovechkin scored 50 goals to capture his fourth consecutive and sixth overall Richard trophy, adding to those he earned in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. Ovechkin is the third player in NHL history with seven or more 50-goal seasons along with Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky -- who both had nine.
Source: AFP