This time, Penguins get off on right foot

The Ottawa Senators must be wondering how many more times this can happen. They get to the playoffs, yet Gary Roberts finds a way to beat them. Again. And again.

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 visiting Ottawa in the Eastern Conference playoffs Wednesday night.

Roberts had 2 goals while playing on Pittsburgh's fourth line, only 1 fewer goal than he had during an injury-interrupted season. Evgeni Malkin, the NHL's No. 2 scorer, added a goal and 2 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.

"It's a good feeling for us, for sure," said Roberts, who has 14 of his 32 career playoff goals against Ottawa. "Last year, I think we were in shock after Game 1 in Ottawa, they came out so hard and battled us real hard. But that feeling, I don't think it's left in this dressing room."

Rangers 4, Devils 1: In his first postseason game against New Jersey -- the club the all-star forward Scott Gomez grew up with -- Gomez had 3 assists in visiting New York's win.

Gomez matched his point total from the final six games of the regular season after he returned to the lineup following a one-game absence that was caused by a rib injury.

"It's the playoffs. It doesn't matter who you play," he said. "It could have been any team. As you get older, the years go by faster.

Avalanche 3, Wild 2:Œ(OT): Joe Sakic added another line to his amazing playoff resume.

Sakic tipped in a shot by Ruslan Salei from the point with 8:49 remaining in overtime, his eighth career playoff goal in extra time, to send Colorado past visiting Minnesota.

The win gives the Avs a 1-0 lead in this first-round series. Game 2 is in Colorado on Friday.