Marcus Nguyen had a hat trick, and the Portland Winterhawks took a 2-1 advantage in the WHL's Western Conference Final with a 4-1 home win over the Prince George Cougars on Monday night. 

The Winterhawks host games four and five of the series on Wednesday and Thursday with games six and seven, if needed, back in Prince George next Monday and Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference Final shifts to the Friendly City tonight as the Moose Jaw Warriors host the Saskatoon Blades for game three of the best-of-seven series. The two teams split the opening games of the series at SaskTel Centre with overtime victories on the weekend.

In the SJHL, the Melfort Mustangs have another chance to clinch the Canterra Seeds Cup as they host the Flin Flon Bombers in game six of the final series. The Mustangs jumped out to a three games to none lead before the Bombers won the last two games in a row to stave off elimination. Game seven, if necessary, will be in Flin Flon on Saturday. 

Panthers complete gentleman's sweep of Lightning

Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaege had two goals each and the Florida Panthers advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 6-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. The Panthers win the best-of-seven series 4-1 and will face either Boston or Toronto in the next round. The Bruins lead that series 3-1 with game five tonight at TD Garden. 

Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars doubled up the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to even up their first-round series at a game apiece. Game six is in Dallas Wednesday night.

Tonight, the Vancouver Canucks take a 3-1 series lead on the Nashville Predators into game five at Rogers Arena, the Colorado Avalanche can eliminate the Jets in five games tonight in Winnipeg, and the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders looking to advance with a win.

Click here to see how local businesses are doing in their quest for the Swift Cup and a chance for you to win some prizes. 

Turner's twin shots lead Jays over Royals

Justin Turner hit two home runs and Danny Jansen added another solo homer as the Toronto Blue Jays held on for a 6-5 win over the Kansas City Royals in the opening game of a three-game series. Vladimir Gurrero Jr. had two hits with an RBI as the Jays won their second in a row after dropping the previous five. 

The series continues tonight at Rogers Centre with Jose Berrios starting for the Jays against Cole Ragans. 

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