After missing an opportunity to eliminate the Blackhawks the past two games, Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said Los Angeles won't let it happen again.

"I'm frustrated, but I'm over it pretty quickly," Doughty said. "I know we got another game to play, Game 7. We've had two chances to close out this series, and we're not going to blow a third one."

Patrick Kane scored the tie-breaking goal with 3:45 to play, and the Blackhawks forced a decisive seventh game in the Western Conference finals with a 4-3 win over the Kings on Friday night, according to an ESPN.com report.

Game 7 is in Chicago on Sunday night.

Henrik Lundqvist wasn't overly busy in stopping all 18 shots that came his way, but there was no margin for error as Dominic Moore's second-period goal was the only offense in Ranger's 1-0 win over the Canadiens in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Rangers are in the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since winning the title 20 years ago, according to an ESPN.com report.

Michal Handzus scored at 2:04 of the second overtime, and the Blackhawks beat the Kings 5-4 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to stay alive in the Western Conference final, according to an ESPN.com report.

Rene Bourque scored three goals and the Canadiens chased goalie Henrik Lundqvist and defeated the Rangers 7-4 on Tuesday to stave off elimination.

The Rangers, who lead the best-of-seven series 3-2, will have another chance to earn a trip to the Stanley Cup final in Game 6 on Thursday night in New York.

"Everybody was ready for this game," Bourque said.

The Blue Jackets have signed Head Coach Todd Richards to a two-year contract extension through the 2016-17 NHL season, club GM Jarmo Kekalainen announced today.
 
Richards, 47, has led Columbus to an 85-70-16 record in 171 games, including a franchise-best mark of 43-32-7 in 2013-14. The Jackets qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in club history this past season and posted the first playoff wins in club history in a six-game Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series vs. the Penguins.
 
“Todd has done an outstanding job for the Columbus Blue Jackets and we’re pleased that he will continue to lead our team,” said Kekalainen.  “We believe he is one of the top young coaches in the NHL because of his knowledge of the game, work ethic and ability to communicate well and bring out the best in our players. He’s played a significant role in our recent success and we look forward to having him continue to be a big part of our franchise moving forward.”

Jake Muzzin, Marian Gaborik, and Dustin Brown scored in a dominant first period, and the Kings beat the Blackhawks 5-2 Monday night to take a 3-1 series lead, according to an ESPN.com report.

The Capitals hired former Predators coach Barry Trotz and promoted Brian MacLellan to GM on Monday, according to an ESPN.com report.

Trotz takes over for Adam Oates, who was fired last month with a season left on his three-year deal.

MacLellan replaces George McPhee, whose contract was not renewed after 17 seasons as the Capitals' GM.

Martin St. Louis scored his sixth goal of the playoffs 6:02 into OT to give the Rangers a 3-2 win over the Canadiens in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday night, according to an ESPN.com report.

Forwards Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin scored eight minutes apart to lead Russia to a 5-2 victory over Finland in the final of the ice hockey world championship on Sunday for its second title in three years, according to an ESPN.com report.