Sens win fourth straight to move past Isles

OTTAWA (AP) -- The Ottawa Senators proved they can finally handle the weight of being a playoff favorite.

Radek Bonk scored twice, and Todd White got his third goal in three games as Ottawa beat the New York Islanders 4-1 Thursday night to win their first-round playoff series in five games.

After opening their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a stunning 3-0 loss to New York, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Senators reeled off four straight wins.

Patrick Lalime made 31 saves, and Martin Havlat also scored for Ottawa, swept in each of the two previous playoff series in which it had home-ice advantage.

"Our confidence definitely grew as the series went on,'' White said. "We might have been a little bit nervous to start the series but I think as it went on we gained more and more confidence and played the type of hockey that we played during the regular season.''

Mark Parrish scored the only goal for New York, which finished the season eighth in the East, 30 points behind Ottawa's league-high and team-record 113.

"I'm impressed with their resilience,'' said Islanders captain Michael Peca, held without a point in the series. "They're a balanced club that just keeps coming at you and they really play with a lot of class. You just take your hat off to them, I guess.''

The Senators, who have made the playoffs seven straight seasons, won just their third playoff series -- and first as the higher-seeded team.

"I think we've learned that it doesn't matter if we're the favorite, we've just got to play our game and do the things we do best,'' said Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden, who assisted on the Senators' first two goals.

White, who had two goals -- including the winner -- in Ottawa's 3-2 double-overtime victory in Game 3, scored midway through the second period Thursday night to put the Senators up 2-1.

Bonk, who assisted on Havlat's power-play goal to open the scoring in the first, gave Ottawa a two-goal lead with 1:47 left in the period when he redirected Havlat's pass beyond goalie Garth Snow for his first goal of the playoffs.

Bonk added an empty-net goal with 2:15 remaining for his third point of the game.

New York was eliminated in the first round for the second straight season after missing the playoffs a franchise-record seven years in a row. The Islanders have lost four playoff series since beating Pittsburgh 4-3 in the 1993 Patrick Division final.

"I don't think they were that impressive,'' Islanders defenseman Adrian Aucoin said of the Senators. "I think they're going to have to be better.

"Once they get the lead, they play a solid system. We're more disappointed at the way we played.''

With the Islanders facing elimination following a 3-1 home loss in Game 4 one night earlier, New York held a 9-7 edge in shots in the first. But the Senators opened the scoring on the second of their two power-play opportunities in the period.

Islanders forward Shawn Bates accidentally redirected Havlat's attempted pass to Marian Hossa into the net with 6:07 to go to put Ottawa up 1-0 and send the Corel Centre crowd into a towel-waving frenzy.

Parrish, held without a point through the first four games, evened the scored on a five-on-three at 6:48 of the second.

White whipped up the crowd again less than three minutes later when he beat Snow to put Ottawa up 2-1.

The 21-year-old Havlat made a sensational play to set up Bonk's goal with 1:47 left in the second. He cut across the ice from the right wing boards before passing back to the right edge of the crease, where Bonk tipped the puck past Snow.

The Islanders pressed throughout the third, but Bonk got the period's only goal when he scored into an empty net with 2:15 remaining.

Game notes
Islanders C Alexei Yashin was held to just one goal over the last four games of the series after having a goal and an assist in Game 1. New York captain Michael Peca was held without a point in the series. ... Bonk has just five goals and 10 assists in 41 career playoff games. ... Senators D Karel Rachunek returned to the lineup after missing Wednesday's game because of a leg injury. Ottawa returned D Brian Pothier to Binghamton of the AHL. ... Ottawa is 21-28 overall in the playoffs. ... The Islanders haven't made it past the first round of the playoffs since the 1992-93 season when they went to the Eastern Conference final.<