2015 NHL playoff scores: Anaheim eliminates Winnipeg, Pittsburgh on the brink

The Jets’ season came to an end, and the Penguins’ went on life support.

Apr 23, 2015, 12:15 PM UTC

Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

The Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins both took early leads in their respective games on Wednesday. Neither came away victorious. For the former, it means the end of the season; for the latter, it means room for error has all but been stripped away.

The Jets' first playoff appearance since relocating to Winnipeg was a brief one, as they were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. There are plenty of reasons why they failed, including poor goaltending, crippling injuries and bad luck, but all of that is moot now. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff has some tough decisions to make -- he should probably go ahead and buy out Ondrej Pavelec tomorrow -- and a few good moves could turn this club into a genuine contender.

The Penguins still have a chance to win their best-of-seven series against the New York Rangers, but such a feat would be an extremely uphill battle. By losing Game 4 and falling behind in the series, 3-1, the Pens have to win three straight to reach Round 2.

Elsewhere, the St. Louis Blues made a statement by taking down the Minnesota Wild, 6-1. Devan Dubnyk, who gave up six goals on 17 shots, is still human after all, not a half human/half cyborg constructed in the basement of the Xcel Energy Center. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds on Friday.

Winnipeg became the first team to be eliminated thanks to the Ottawa Senators' 1-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 of their series. Like Pittsburgh, Ottawa has a tough road ahead. If Craig Anderson, who just shut out the Habs, can stay solid between the pipes, the Sens might have a chance.

Scores

Ottawa Senators 1, Montreal Canadiens 0

New York Rangers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (OT)

St. Louis Blues 6, Minnesota Wild 1

Anaheim Ducks 5, Winnipeg Jets 2

3 things we learned

1. Winnipeg was hurting

It’s common practice for teams to conceal the nature of their players’ injuries during the postseason. Turns out the Jets were keeping a long list of ailments from the public: According to head coach Paul Maurice, Winnipeg was likely dealing with eight major injuries, four of which occurred before the playoffs. Captain Andrew Ladd, who did not have a good series, is reportedly among those who played through significant pain.

2. The Blues have some fight left in them

It was very evident the Blues' Game 3 effort wasn't up to par. The Wild outplayed them from start to finish, and St. Louis' top forward line -- comprised of Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Steen and Jori Lehtera -- was held to two total shots. This after the line tallied a single shot on goal in Game 1.

Game 4 was different. The Blues jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and made a statement by flipping the tables and outworking the Wild. Tarasenko scored twice, and St. Louis cruised to an easy victory.

3. Vladimir Tarasenko is better in real life than you are on XBOX