Pageau at four-front for Senators
Diminutive forward’s ‘absolutely sick’ goal splurge drops Rangers into 2-0 series hole
Jean-Gabriel Pageau thought he ate too much before he went to the rink Saturday afternoon.
“I had two chicken parm(esan),” said the Ottawa Senators centre.
Then he went out and feasted on the New York Rangers.
Pageau, who has a flare for the dramatic, became the first player in Ottawa playoff history to score four goals in a game — including the winner in double overtime — to give the Senators a 6-5 victory over the Rangers in front of 18,679 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators, who trailed by two goals on three occasions, now hold a 2-0 lead in the series, which heads to Madison Square Garden in New York for the next two games on Tuesday and Thursday.
Mark Stone and Marc Methot also scored on Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
The diminutive Ottawa centre sent the crowd into hysterics when he scored at 2:54 of the second overtime to give the Senators a 2-0 series lead in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, when they beat the Buffalo Sabres in the Eastern Conference final. Pageau also had a huge hand in getting the game to overtime by scoring with 1:02 left in the third after started the comeback from a 5-3 deficit with his second of the game at the 16:41 mark.
What a day for Pageau, who heard the crowd chanting his name and singing along.
“It’s always fun to score here in front of our fans,” said Pageau. “To hear (the fans chanting) my name was motivating to go out there and give everything I had. I got a couple of lucky bounces, but it feels really good to do that home.”
It’s a day Pageau won’t soon forget.
“I’m going to remember that for the rest of my life but I don’t want to stop there now. I want to turn the page as quick as possible and focus on the next game,” he said.
Naturally, the Senators couldn’t have been happier for Pageau, who plays the game with a huge heart.
“Four goals. That’s absolutely sick,” said Senators coach Guy Boucher with a wide smile at his post-game news conference. “It’s not just four goals, it’s the tying goal, it’s the overtime goal. It couldn’t happen to a better person.
“He’s just so liked by his peers. I mean, a guy that plays in the NHL, at that size (five-foot-10) first of all. That’s unbelievable to do what he does every night. You have to respect the man, you’ve got to respect the player and everything he brings to the game. You ask the players who they want to play with and the No. 1 player is Pageau.”
The Senators had a tough time putting this one into words.
“It was just an incredible performance by Pageau. He’s a heart and soul guy,” said Dion Phaneuf. “He plays hard, night in and night out. It doesn’t matter what game it is during the regular season, you know he’s showing up and do everything he can for his teammates.”
While goaltender Craig Anderson allowed five on goals on 48 shots, he got the offensive support he needed. Brady Skjei scored twice and Chris Kreider, Derek Stepan and Michael Grabner also chipped in goals for the Rangers
“We kept the crowd at the edge of their seats all night,” said Anderson. “We’ve learned from our experience in the first round of the playoffs to stick with it and never give up.
“You just never know. You’ve just got to be ready for the next save and give your team a chance to be in it. You just never give up and never change your mindset.”
The Senators simply refused to back down on this day. Three times, New York pulled out to a two-goal lead and the Senators pulled within a goal twice until Pageau stepped up to get the job done in the final four minutes of the game.
Now the Senators find themselves in control of the series.
Not all the news was good. The Senators finished the game without winger Clarke MacArthur, who left with an undisclosed injury. He missed nearly two years with post-concussion syndrome, but Boucher said the ailment was “something he had in the last game,” indicating it wasn’t serious.
If he can’t suit up Tuesday night in New York, then expect Tom Pyatt to return to the lineup.