Need more goals, grit

After splitting NHL series in Pittsburgh, Sens hope for more offence at home

They have split two games scoring a combined two goals.

They have limited the offensively gifted Pittsburgh Penguins to two goals.

They have gone 1-1 on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions to start best-of-seven Eastern Conference final.

Now all the Ottawa Senators want going into Game 3 on Wednesday at Canadian Tire Centre is more.

More wins. More offence. More getting under the Penguins’ skin.

“It’s a tight series, and we grabbed a win on the road,” defenceman Marc Methot said Tuesday before the Senators flew home.

“I mean, had you asked us if we’d be in this position or we’d enjoy being in this position a couple months back, I’m pretty sure we’d take it.

“We have an opportunity now to get home and play in front of our great fans, and the building will be rocking. That’s something that we’re looking forward to.”

Ottawa’s defence was pretty much as advertised in a 2-1 overtime win Saturday and a 1-0 loss Monday.

Holding opponents in check, keeping them away from their sweet spots, getting strong goaltending from Craig Anderson are all big parts of the team’s identity.

Pittsburgh surged in the third period of Game 2 and controlled play but struggled to create key chances in tight.

“It’s hard to get to the net against these guys,” Penguins centre Nick Bonino said.

“They have five guys in the house.”

Ottawa had to scramble to hold fast, with Phil Kessel’s deciding goal coming in the third when Anderson said he caught an edge with his skate and wasn’t able to move to his left to stop the puck.

On offence, scoring a goal a game probably isn’t going to suffice for the Senators moving ahead.

That became even clearer Monday, when Ottawa had a stretch in the second and third periods of nearly the equivalent of a full period without a shot.

“I think we learned a few things,” centre Tom Pyatt said. “We didn’t generate a lot of offence. We played a solid defensive game, kept them on the outside. But I think they spent a little too much time in our zone, and, obviously, we need a better offensive effort for Game 3.”

The Senators want to do that without trying to morph into an offensive juggernaut or get into a track meet with the fleet Penguins.

“It’s hard to get to the net against these guys. They have five guys in the house.” Pittsburgh Penguins’ Nick Bonino