Pens demolish Senators to move one win from finals
PITTSBURGH: Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray made 25 saves and the defending champions Penguins moved within one victory of the Stanley Cup finals by routing Ottawa 7-0 in an NHL play-off game on Sunday.
The Penguins seized a 3-2 lead over the visiting Senators in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final series with a chance to advance by winning tomorrow morning (Thai time) in the Canadian capital.
“We’re a confident group,” said Penguins defenceman Olli Maatta, a surprise goalscorer in Game Four.
“We know we have the potential to do that. Obviously, seven in a game is a lot, but at the same time, we know we have enough skill and we’re a really good group, so we can definitely do that in a game.”
The series winner will meet either Nashville or Anaheim in the championship series starting May 29.
Pittsburgh took a 4-0 lead after the first period, the Penguins’ scoring onslaught forcing the Senators to replace goaltender Craig Anderson on his 36th birthday with backup Mike Condon.
Maatta opened with scoring 8:14 minutes into the game and Penguins captain Sidney Crosby followed with a power-play goal just 3:49 minutes later.
Pittsburgh’s Brian Rust scored on a rebound with 3:56 minutes remaining in the period and Scott Wilson added another goal 2:13 minutes later, with Nick Bonino and Carter Rowney assisting on both goals.
Matt Cullen boosted the Penguins’ lead to 5-0 just 1:54 minutes into the second period and Phil Kessell and Trevor Daley added third-period power-play goals to complete the blowout.