Red Wings finish off Avalanche

Johan Franzen outscored the Colorado Avalanche by himself.

Franzen’s second hat trick in three games fueled the Detroit Red Wings’ 8-2 rout Thursday night that completed a sweep of the injury-riddled Avalanche in Denver.

Franzen’s nine goals in the series matched Colorado’s total, and his three goals in Game 4 made him the first player with two hat tricks in one series since Jari Kurri did it for Edmonton in 1985.

In his first taste of the bitter rivalry, Franzen was too dominant to experience the bad blood that usually boils this time of year between the teams.

The “Mule” scored on a breakaway in the first period and added a short-handed backhander and a redirection into the net in the second, when the Red Wings scored four times to take a 7-1 lead.

The Red Wings advance to the Western Conference finals against the winner of the Dallas-San Jose series, which Dallas leads 3-1.

Franzen needed just 10 playoff games to score 11 goals and break the Red Wings’ record for most goals in one postseason, which was held by three players, including Brett Hull, who needed 23 games to do it in 2002.

Rangers 3, Penguins 0: At New York, Jaromir Jagr snapped a scoreless tie in the second period and sealed the win that forced a Game 5 with an empty-net goal.

New York is a major long shot to rally in the series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals, but Jagr and the Rangers showed they still have lots of fight left.

The Penguins, who lost for the first time in eight playoff games this year, will try again to finish off the Rangers in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Game 6 would be back in New York on Monday night.

Only two NHL teams have come back to win after trailing 3-0 and none has done it since the 1975 New York Islanders against Pittsburgh.

Henrik Lundqvist, who twice allowed five goals to Pittsburgh in the series, was on top of his game – his best moments coming against MVP finalist Evgeni Malkin. The second-year Penguins forward was denied by Lundqvist’s right skate at the post in the first period and then on a penalty shot in the second.

Fans chanted “Hen-rik” as the final moments ticked down.