Pens end Sens’ run in 2OT
Chris Kunitz goal gives Pittsburgh 3-2 win, berth in Stanley Cup final vs. Nashville
PITTSBURGH — The Ottawa Senators remarkable ride has come to an end. Sidney Crosby set up Chris Kunitz for the double-overtime winner and his second goal of the night as the Pittsburgh Penguins ended the Sens season 3-2 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final.
“It’s one of those games where when the stakes are this high, anything can happen,” said Crosby. “It’s relief and excitement to know you’re moving on and you’re going to be playing in the Stanley Cup final.”
Ottawa twice rallied in pursuit of a first Stanley Cup final appearance in 10 years, ultimately falling just short against the defending champs and dropping to 0-6 in Game 7s.
Erik Karlsson assisted on goals from Mark Stone and Ryan Dzingel. Craig Anderson was terrific with 39 saves.
“We kept putting pucks on him and we trusted that eventually we’d find a way to put one in. He was incredible,” Crosby said of Anderson. “Some of those saves he was making and some of the ones that seem to lay there and we couldn’t get, we had to work for it.”
Justin Schultz also scored for the Penguins and Matt Murray came up with 27 stops. Pittsburgh’s pursuit of a second straight Cup begins Monday night against the Nashville Predators.
The loss ends a storybook ride for Ottawa few could have anticipated before the season. The Sens were hardly a sure thing to even make the playoffs, let alone win two rounds and take the defending Stanley Cup champions to seven games.
Ottawa defied odds all year by embracing the ways of first-year coach Guy Boucher. That meant a defence-first approach that often saw the Sens trying to win games 1-0 or 2-1. It was that thin margin for error, which made the club an unlikely candidate to go deep in the playoffs.
Their run was fuelled in large part by Karlsson.
While slowing down in the conference final due to injuries, fatigue and nightly duels with Crosby, the 26-year-old captain had a sensational regular season and was even better in series wins over Boston and New York. He finished the playoffs with 18 points in 19 games.
Chances for either side were limited and space was at a premium on Thursday night. Shots favoured Pittsburgh 6-5 in the opening 20 minutes.
Steam seemed to be building in the Pens favour in the second when Kunitz finally gave them the first lead at the midway point of the second, finishing a rush with Conor Sheary.
But the very next shift, Ottawa evened it up on Stone’s fifth of the playoffs. Karlsson made another special play on the goal, which came 20 seconds after the Kunitz marker. Rushing up the right side, Karlsson sucked in Olli Maatta and then found just enough room to thread a pass to Stone, who beat Murray high-glove.
Anderson was beaten a second time when Schultz put one through traffic for the sixth Pittsburgh power-play goal of the series.
The Sens again quickly tied it — this time before three minutes passed on Dzingel’s second of the post-season.