Brock Nelson scored twice in another big second period by New York, Semyon Varlamov stopped 23 shots and the Islanders beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 in Game 6 on Wednesday night to advance to the Stanley Cup semifinals for the second straight year.

Michael Raffl scored from a tight angle with 1.8 seconds remaining and the Washington Capitals beat the short-handed Boston Bruins 2-1 in the teams’ regular season finale.

Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) checks Boston Bruins right wing Chris Wagner (14) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)NEW YORK – Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin was fined $5,000 by the NHL on Thursday for spearing Boston Bruins rookie Trent Frederic, an amount that is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. Ovechkin was given a minor penalty for slashing and Frederic one for cross-checking on the play. The two players exchanged shoves minutes earlier and Frederic dropped his gloves but nothing transpired. Frederic and Capitals tough guy Tom Wilson fought during a game in Washington earlier this season.