Pens go two-up on Caps
Pageau scores 4 goals in Senators’ double-OT victory over Rangers
With Sidney Crosby continuing his brilliance for the Penguins, and Braden Holtby not having the same response in net for the Capitals, the second-round series between the NHL’s top teams has tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Crosby set up two goals, and the Penguins chased Holtby in a 6-2 victory Saturday night in Game 2, taking a commanding 2-0 lead back home. Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced in his second consecutive strong performance. Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel scored twice to put the Presidents’ Trophy winners in a historically difficult hole.
Teams that have lost the first two games of a bestof-seven series at home are 18-69 (21.7 percent) all time in the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. To attempt their own comeback, the Capitals might turn back to Holtby for Game 3 Monday night in Pittsburgh after backup Philipp Grubauer allowed two goals on the first four shots he faced in relief.
Holtby had surrendered three goals on 14 shots before getting the hook after the second period Saturday.
The goals by Matt Cullen (short-handed), Kessel and Guentzel weren’t all Holtby’s fault because of miscues and odd-man rushes, but the reigning Vezina Trophy winner didn’t make the timely save his team needed. Senators 6, Rangers 5: Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a career-high four goals, including the winner 2:54 into the second overtime, to lift Ottawa over New York, 65, on Saturday, giving the Senators a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“I think I closed my eyes when I shot, and thankfully it went in,” Pageau said of the winner.
The 24-year-old Ottawa native also scored twice in the final 3:19 to tie the score. He tipped Zack Smith’s shot past Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist to pull the Senators to 5-4 and then tied it by deflecting a shot by Kyle Turris with 1:02 remaining.
On the winning goal, Pageau snapped in a shot during a 2-on-1 rush alongside Tommy Wingels. Pageau is the first Senator with four goals in a playoff game.
The Senators have a 2-0 series lead for just the second time in franchise history. They have never swept a four-game series.
Marc Methot and Mark Stone also scored for Ottawa, and Craig Anderson had 43 saves.
Brady Skjei had two goals for New York, his second putting the Rangers up by two 5:10 into the third period. Michael Grabner, Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan also scored, and Lundqvist stopped 28 shots.