Ottawa Senators' Bobby Ryan (9) tries to control the puck in front of Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby (87) during the first period of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Monday, May 15, 2017, in Pittsburgh. It's one game, sure, but it's one more game than some expected them to win.
Penguins fans, take heart. They can't afford to let lazy mistakes hurt them again in game two, especially right before going to Bridgestone Arena for games three and four. Ron Hainsey hit the crossbar early and Patric Hornqvist dinged the left post but that's as close as Pittsburgh would get to slipping one by Anderson. It was giving the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins fits. Ottawa's proving they're no pushover, and the Pens can't take them lightly anymore.
"It was scary. It wasn't fun to live", Boucher said of the pushback his team faced in the first two rounds.
The Ottawa Senators are doing a lot to shake off the naysayers calling them the underdogs of this Eastern Conference Final.
The Pens would be better served to stop puck handling in the middle of the ice and chip-and-chase the puck behind the Sens' bigger, slower defensemen. "They outworked Pittsburgh. It's going to come down to blue-collar work ethic, and execution". This is the blueprint for "beating" Boucher's system, but full credit to Ottawa's coaching staff for making the necessary adjustments.
And keep the lead, while you're at it. "If they have the lead, they can sit back and be more passive". We've waited for chances.
Boucher installed more of a trap than they have shown in previous rounds, a system that succeeded in frustrating a potent Pens attack, snuffing out a majority of Penguins rush attempts before they became unsafe. Yes, just one in 26 power plays against.
The Penguins were 0-for-5 on the power play Saturday. Since the start of Round 2, the Penguins have scored just 3 goals in 27 powerplay attempts.
The Penguins got that in Game 1.
As much as the parallels between the Senators of today and the Canadiens of a previous generation are intriguing, nobody in the dressing room is dreaming, looking too far ahead.
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Jakob Silfverberg, Sami Vatanen and Ondrej Kase also scored while the Ducks cracked imposing goalie Pekka Rinne with a thrilling surge of four goals in less than 19 minutes.
In half of their 12 playoff games, the Penguins reached or exceeded 20 blocked shots. Kessel fired hard and low by Anderson for his sixth - and certainly most important - goal of the playoffs.
The Ottawa Senators are officially a force to be reckoned with in this years Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Following Game 1, Senators forward Clarke MacArthur said they are willing to surrender outside shots.
"I don't think it was something that just happened (in Game 1)", Sullivan said.
It wasn't exactly an bad game for Crosby, though, just maybe one he'd like back. Ranting and raving, Kessel gesticulated with his hands as he verbally sparred with linemate Evgeni Malkin - with Chris Kunitz in the middle as the innocent bystander.
Hers's your daily recap from last night's game, and what to look for in tonight's action.
Resiliency may be the Penguins' greatest character trait.
A marked departure from Game 1, as Pittsburgh struggled to generate any sort of extended pressure in a 2-1 overtime loss. Another reason for optimism? With 116 playoff games behind him, and holding the franchise record for defencemen with 18 playoff goals, he was the voice of experience. Pittsburgh has averaged just 1.66 goals per game in their past nine home defeats, while scoring more than three goals in all but one of their past 21 home victories.
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