Penguins put on clinic during rout
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan calls it “getting to our game.”
It means he wants his team to attack opponents with speed, aggression and a dash of responsibility.
Physically translated, it looks like the 60 minutes the defending Stanley Cup champions put together Sunday in a 7-0 demolition of the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Dominant from the opening faceoff and scoring four times in the first period, the Penguins moved within one game of a return trip to the Stanley Cup finals by overwhelming the Senators with wave after wave of pressure, the kind that became the club’s trademark during its sprint to a fourth championship last spring.
Seven players scored and 11 finished with at least one point to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead heading into Game 6 on Tuesday in Ottawa. Seemingly on the ropes after getting pummeled 5-1 in Game 3, the Penguins have outscored the Senators 10-2 the last six periods to gain control.
“When we play the type of game we play tonight, it allows us to dictate the terms and play the style and the identity of this Penguins team,” Sullivan said.
One player well aware that despite how easy it looked during Pittsburgh’s most lopsided playoff victory in five years, much work remains to be done.
“They have a good ability to respond, so we’re going to be challenged here in Game 6,” said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, who scored for the third straight game and became the 22nd player in NHL history to reach 100 career playoff assists when he sent a slick backhand no-look pass to Phil Kessel early in the third period. “We know that and we’ve got to be at our best.”
The Penguins might already be there. The power play went 3 for 3. The penalty kill turned the Senators away four times and extended Ottawa’s power-play drought to 0 for 29. Matt Murray stopped 21 shots for his first playoff shutout in Pittsburgh’s most complete performance of the postseason.
“I think that was a big part of our success last year was that we had all four lines going and chipping in offensively,” forward Matt Cullen said. “But more than that, spending time in the offensive zone and grinding and playing some good hockey and I think the last couple games, especially, that’s been key.”
The Penguins chased Ottawa’s Craig Anderson by beating him four times in the first period, the last a “why not” flip from behind the goal line by fourth-line forward Scott Wilson that banked in off the goalie.