Penguins power up

The Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins staged a near replay of their playoff Game 1 from last season, only with a much different result.

Gary Roberts and Petr Sykora scored in the first period and the favored Penguins, determined not to duplicate their awful postseason opener of a year ago, rode Marc-Andre Fleury’s goaltending after that to a 4-0 victory over Ottawa in the Eastern Conference playoffs Wednesday night at Pittsburgh.

Roberts had two goals, only one fewer than he had during an injury-interrupted season, and Evgeni Malkin – the NHL’s No. 2 scorer – had a goal and two assists.

Pittsburgh, which never recovered from its opening-game 6-3 loss to Ottawa during their five-game series last April, takes a 1-0 lead into Game 2 on Friday night. The Penguins have won their last nine home games.

Fleury made 26 saves in his first career playoff shutout, twice stopping Cory Stillman during an extended Ottawa power play late in the second period in which Pittsburgh was down two men for nearly a minute. Fleury is 11-2-1 since returning Feb. 28 from a nearly three-month layoff with a badly sprained ankle.

Pittsburgh also was down two men for 50 seconds early in the third, but the Senators couldn’t get the puck past Fleury in only his second career postseason victory. The Senators were 0 for 7 on the power play.

Avalanche 3, Wild 2 (OT): At St. Paul, Minn., Joe Sakic tipped in a shot by Ruslan Salei from the point midway through the first overtime period, his eighth career playoff goal in extra time, to send Colorado past Minnesota. The goal came at 11:11 of OT and gave Colorado a 1-0 lead in this first-round series. Game 2 is at Minnesota on Friday.

Kurt Sauer, who scored only once this season, got the first goal for Colorado. Ryan Smyth followed with a power-play deflection, and the Avalanche were up 2-0 in the second period with only seven shots on net at that point.

Mikko Koivu, with help from Avs defenseman Chris Finger’s skate, and Todd Fedoruk had goals to tie it.

Rangers 4, Devils 1: At Newark, N.J., Scott Gomez assisted on three of New York’s goals in a playoff-opening win over New Jersey.

Ryan Callahan surprised Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with a goal-scoring swoop around the net in the third period, and the Rangers wrested away home-ice advantage from the Devils.

Callahan’s shot off a drop pass from Gomez, trickled tantalizingly in the crease as Brodeur moved slowly to corral it. Callahan followed his short-handed shot and flew in front near the left post to bang the puck in at 7:23.

Gomez earned his third assist when his pass hit the skate of New Jersey forward Sergei Brylin and came right to Sean Avery for a goal with 2:53 left.

Brendan Shanahan scored New York’s lone goal in the second.

Game 2 is Friday at New Jersey.

Flames 3, Sharks 2: At San Jose, Calif., Stephane Yelle scored two goals, Miikka Kiprusoff made 37 saves and seventh-seeded Calgary defeated the NHL’s second-best regular-season team in its first-round opener in beating the Sharks.

Dion Phaneuf also scored a power-play goal for the Flames, who opened the best-of-7 Western Conference series with three opportunistic goals and a late defensive scramble to win a game largely controlled by the Sharks. Game 2 is tonight.

Ryane Clowe scored two goals as San Jose outshot Calgary 39-23, but the Flames generated three scores in the first 40 minutes and then held on after Clowe’s second score with 56 seconds to play.

Evgeni Nabokov stopped 20 shots for the Sharks, who hadn’t lost a home game in regulation since Feb. 14.