Roman Josi scored twice and Pekka Rinne had 30 saves as the host Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 on Thursday to complete a four-game sweep of the Western Conference’s top seed.
Colton Sissons also scored and Viktor Arvidsson added an empty-net goal as Nashville completed the franchise’s first playoff sweep.
The Predators limited the Blackhawks to three goals in the series.
Nashville will face the winner of the Blues-Wild series in the second round.
Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 2: Sidney Crosby and Scott Wilson scored 51 seconds apart in the third period and Marc-Andre Fleury made 49 saves as host Pittsburgh prevailed to win its Eastern Conference series against Columbus in five games.