KESSEL GOAL STANDS UP FOR PENS
Senators fail to generate much offence as Pittsburgh bears down to even series
The Ottawa Senators will have to settle for the split. What choice do they have? The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins put the Senators in their place and served notice they’re not going to give up their title defence without a fight after Pittsburgh’s 1-0 victory Monday night at PPG Paints Arena to tie the East final at 1-1 as it shifts back to Canadian Tire Centre for Game 3 Wednesday.
Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel, who had been frustrated most of the night, broke the scoreless tie at 13:05 of the third period when he picked up his own rebound off a Jean-Gabriel Pageau blocked shot and beat Craig Anderson with the only goal the Penguins needed after completely dominating the Senators in the final 30 minutes.
This might have been the easiest shutout Marc-Andre Fleury ever had. The Senators went a span of 18:53 between the second and third period without even recording a shot. If the game plan was to hang on for dear life, then the Senators nearly performed it to a tee until Kessel performed his heroics.
Suddenly, the momentum has moved in the direction of the Penguins and the Senators are going to have to find an answer quickly because this performance wasn’t pretty by any stretch of the imagination.
“They did a pretty good job in the neutral zone and limited our chances,” said winger Clarke MacArthur. “We’ve got to have more pressure, of course you’re going to have it at the end of the game. Tough team to play against.”
Ottawa tried desperately to tie it in the final minute but couldn’t get it done and the Senators finished with only six shots in the third period.
The Senators were aware this game was going to be a lot different than the 2-1 overtime victory in Game 1 Saturday. The Penguins weren’t the least bit pleased with the way they performed and the Senators were expecting the same kind of effort they saw from the Rangers in a 4-1 loss in Game 2.
“It’s going to be the same thing here,” said winger Mark Stone before the game. “They’re going to try and tweak a little bit to get around us. And they’re going to play us with desperation, so we need to match that.”
Through 40 minutes, the Senators played to a scoreless tie with the Penguins but a lot of that had to do with Anderson. The Senators were dominated in their own end and there’s no question that Pittsburgh created the better scoring chances, however, Anderson was there to make the stops when needed.
The Senators were outshot 12-6 in the second period.
The Penguins were having a terrible time creating chances in Game 1, however, they weren’t plagued by the same problem in this one. Ottawa’s best chance came with Clarke MacArthur alone in front late, however, he didn’t get a shot off on Fleury when attempting to put it through his feet and on his stick.
Really, it didn’t take long for the hatred to build up between these two sides. This series finally took a nasty edge — especially in the second. Dion Phaneuf, who was a force in this game, nailed Jake Guentzel by stepping into him and sending him to the ice as he came across the Ottawa blue line.
Earlier, it was Guentzel who had hit the post behind Anderson a Pittsburgh power play.
So frustrated were the Penguins, the television cameras caught Malkin and Kessel in a heated argument going to the bench early in the second. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan had to step in and was caught talking to Malkin, who was animated.
The Senators and Penguins played to scoreless tie during a hard-hitting first period and Ottawa did a good job pushing the pace.
If the idea was to send a message early, the Senators were able to withstand the push by the Penguins. Phaneuf nailed Pittsburgh’s Bryan Rust with a legal open ice check six minutes into the first. There will be debate over the hit because Rust left the game but Phaneuf never left his feet which is why it was OK.
Anderson had a strong start by making two huge stops on Malkin, including a point-blank stop. It didn’t help the Penguins that they finished the first without two players. Defenceman Justin Schultz, who has played a key role with Kris Letang and Trevor Daley injured, left the game after getting hit into the boards by Mike Hoffman. Sullivan told reporters the Penguins would adjust and try to do a better job creating scoring chances.
“After (the first game) both sides get a real indication of what the game plans are,” Sullivan said before the game.
“As the series goes on, there becomes more familiarity on both sides.”
They did a pretty good job in the neutral zone and limited our chances. We’ve got to have more pressure ...