PITTSBURGH – Heading into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final the narrative surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins has been their hard-fought win over the Capitals and Blue Jackets. Many in the hockey media suggested that the road to the cup would be easy for the Pens the rest of the way. It seems the Ottawa Senators did not get the memo. The team from the other capital city came to play.
The Senators did what they do best, trap, clog up the neutral zone, chip and chase, and wait for their opponent to make a mistake. The Penguins made at least two. The first came a few minutes in, when Ron Hainsey missed his assignment, the other came in over time when Olli Maatta failed to slow Bobby Ryan on a breakaway.
Sens over Pens 2-1 in overtime.
In the first period the Penguins seemed to be slowed quite a bit by the Senators trap defensive system. The Senators penalty kill was also quite effective in shutting down all five Pens power plays and limiting their scoring chances. Craig Andersen was stellar in net stopping the few chances the Penguins managed. Jean-Gabriel Pageau pounced on a turnover early giving the Sens a 1-0 lead after one. Pageau’s goal was assisted by B. Ryan.
The second period began with the Penguins on a power play that was soon negated by an Evgeni Malkin holding call. This led to a brief 4 on 4 followed by a successful Penguins penalty kill. The Penguins 4th line seemed to be effective at getting chances late in the second but the period ended with the Senators still up 1-0.
The third period began and the Senators kept grinding and trapping. The Penguins struggled to get anything going until late in the the period when they started getting pressure in the offensive zone. This led to a Malkin goal off a redirected shot from the dot by Chris Kunitz. Kunitz and Hainsey both got helpers on the game tying goal.
The Senators nearly beat Fleury a minute later when the Penguins got caught on a slow line change but Marc-Andre was able to shut it down. Soon after, Phil Kessel wristed one off the post, adding to the excitement but not the score sheet. The third period ended knotted at 1.
After three periods of careful puck management by both teams ,it would be the one and only odd man break in the game, in over time, that would allow Bobby Ryan to backhand one past Fleury. After the game Ryan said “We felt like we deserved to be [in the Eastern Conference final] all along” and they earned a great deal of respect in their win today.
The penguins seemed to have figured out how to get past the trap by being patient and playing a more conservative style than they have so far in the playoffs. If they want to make it to the Final they are going to have to manage the puck with precision and limit turnovers. The Senators will patiently wait for the Penguins to make mistakes and capitalize. The key for the Pens is not to make any.
You must be logged in to post a comment.