Penguins return to Cup Final
His goal in second OT silences Senators, gives Pittsburgh a shot to repeat as champion.
Kunitz scores in second OT for Pittsburgh, which defeats Ottawa in Game 7 and will face Nashville for title.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final.
Chris Kunitz beat Craig Anderson 5:09 into the second overtime to give the defending champions a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.
Kunitz scored twice, his first two of the playoffs. Justin Schultz added the other in his return from an upper-body injury, and Matt Murray stopped 28 shots on his 23rd birthday.
The Penguins are trying to become the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1998 to win back-to-back titles. They will host Western Conference champion Nashville in Game 1 on Monday night.
Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel scored for Ottawa. The Senators rallied twice to tie it, with Dzingel making it 2-2 with 5:19 left in regulation.
Craig Anderson made 39 saves, but couldn’t get a handle on Kunitz’s shot from just outside the left circle.
“It doesn’t matter who scores. We’re happy the game ended and we’re on the top side of it,” Kunitz said.
The Senators forced a return trip to Pittsburgh by leaning heavily on Anderson in a 2-1 Game 6 victory.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our group for staying with it and not getting frustrated.” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
Kunitz, relegated to the fourth line since returning from injury in the second round, completed a two-onone with Conor Sheary by slipping the puck by Anderson 9:55 into the second period.
The momentum lasted all of 20 seconds. Stone fired a wrist shot that handcuffed Murray.
Pittsburgh kept coming. Schultz, returning after missing four games with an upper-body injury, zipped a shot from the point through Kunitz’s screen and into the net with 8:16 left in the third.
Once again, the Penguins could not hold the lead. Dzingel set up at the right post and banged home a rebound.