Ottawa expects Penguins to push back

OTTAWA, Ontario — The Senators probably didn’t anticipate the uninspired effort the Penguins put forth for much of their 51 loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final Wednesday night.

And the Senators certainly don’t expect a repeat in Game 4 at 8:10 p.m. Friday at the Canadian Tire Centre.

“I’m expecting a big pushback from them,” Ottawa center Zack Smith said Thursday. “I don’t think that was their typical game that they played [Wednesday]. We’ll be ready for a lot better game from them [Friday].”

Senators right winger Bobby Ryan offered a similar assessment.

“I think we can expect a pretty good push,” Ryan said. “After Game 1, they regrouped and came back and gave us all we could handle in Game 2. I think it will be much like that.”

One of the major story lines heading into Game 4 is whether will opt coach to start Mike Marc- Sullivan Andre Fleury or Matt Murray in goal. The Senators are aware of the issue but said it has no impact on them. “To be honest with you, we don’t care,” coach Guy Boucher said. Center Derick Brassard suggested that he believes the Penguins will stick with Fleury. “Fleury won the Cup,” he said. “He’s been proven a No. 1 goalie in this league, and Murray won the Cup for them last year. “It doesn’t really matter. Those two guys are good goalies.”

Scouting report

Ottawa’s backup goalie, Mike Condon, began the season with the Penguins but was traded to the Senators when Murray recovered from a broken hand in the World Cup of Hockey.

He was around long enough to pick up a few insights on the Penguins’ personnel to share with starting goalie Craig Anderson but refrained from feeding too much information to the coaching staff.

“As a goalie, there are certain things you pick up, I guess, just about seeing guys’ releases, from a goalie’s standpoint,” Condon said. “In terms of systems, I think coach [Guy] Boucher has lots more knowledge on hockey structure than I’ve ever learned.

“At this point in the year, you are what you are. It’s just about who’s better at executing it, and who makes fewer mistakes.”

Condon passed along a few observations on Fleury, who has started the first 15 games of these playoffs, but isn’t convinced those pointers will be of much help in real-time situations.

“I just said that he’s a very energetic and unpredictable goalie,” he said. “He’s not afraid to come out and stack the pads, do a poke-check.

“I told them that Fleury has a very active stick and sometimes, he tries to catch guys with their heads down when they’re trying to make a play.”

Wearing down?

The Penguins absorbed a lot of punishment in their first two series, against Columbus and Washington, and looked like a tired team for much of Game 3.

The Senators, though, dispute that idea.

“I think they’ve played a lot of hockey, going back to last year, that’s for sure,” Ryan said. “But, no, I don’t see them breaking down, by any means. They’ve got a lot of horses over there.”

Smith echoed that sentiment, cautioning against putting undue emphasis on Ottawa’s lopsided victory Wednesday.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “[Game 3] was one game. The game before that, they played very well.”