A 7-0 blow-out in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators sets up a do-or-die match Tuesday night in Ottawa.
The Penguins struck early and often in building a 4-0 lead through the opening 20 minutes of play.
Pittsburgh has been riding hot goalies with Marc-Andre Fleury first then Matt Murray 
when Fleury faltered.
But more importantly, Pens head coach Mike Sullivan has had the Midas touch in revamping his lineup to compensate for injuries.
“Well, we’re trying to create some balance. We like to have a north-south guy on every line that helps us play the game that we want to play,” Sullivan said after the Game 5 win. “That’s a speed game, a north-south game, someone that can get into the battles and force puck battles for us.
“So the makeup of the lines right now gives us that balance, and it gives us people on every line that can play a north-south game, that have a physical component to their respective game, and then help us create those 50/50 pucks that we’re looking for. Obviously, the team played extremely well tonight. Every line we liked. It was a solid effort.”
It is difficult to describe the game and effort from the Penguins as anything but a complete one.
“This was one of the more complete efforts, for sure. We’ve had a few of them. This is one of them,” Sullivan said. “I thought our guys had a readiness about them tonight that we’re going to need moving forward if we’re going to get to where we want to go.
“This is a real good opponent that defends extremely hard. So to have the effort that we had tonight, the readiness that we had tonight, that will to win that we’ve had conversations about here over the last few weeks, it’s so important to win at this time of year.
“You know, I think when we play the type of game that we played tonight, it allows us to dictate the terms out there a little bit and play to the style of play, the identity of this Penguins team.”
For Ottawa, the objective is pushing the series to a Game 7 but they need to bounce back from the shelling in Game 5.
“Did it leave a mark on Pittsburgh when we did that to them at home? They won the next game, so…,: Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher said after the loss. “In the playoffs, just like the season, your ability to rebound from a great game or a really bad game is necessary. We’ve done it all year. We’ve done it in the playoffs. After the fourth game against the Rangers, we were supposedly done, so, rebound, get ready for the next one.”
Tuesday night will test the mettle of both clubs.
For the Penguins, the game is about making sure they don’t have a let-down after the win.
“I just think we capitalized on our chances,” Sidney Crosby said. “I don’t think we did anything different. I feel like we had a good start. We gave ourselves a chance to score some of those goals.”
Chances like those in Game 5 don’t come very often, any that do come Tuesday night will need to be recognized and acted on.
For the Senators, the 7-0 loss is just that, a loss.
Boucher offered processes for getting beyond the rout.
“There’s two things. First, right now, move on now,” Boucher said.  “Don’t wait another day. Don’t waste any energy on it. It’s our job as coaches to come in and make sure that we go back on the things that made us successful in the previous games against them and the other teams, to make sure we put our strengths on the ice for the next game.
“It’s certainly not going to be about our weaknesses, it has to be about our strengths. We didn’t have that today. There’s no way we can rival the best team in the League and the Stanley Cup champions. It’s about putting our strengths on the ice, and they weren’t there today.”
“Ottawa has been looking good this season, but it has been a tough series against Pittsburgh. The Senators haven’t been in the Finals since 2007, while the Penguins won the title last season and are looking to defend it again. Game 6 will be a killer, but I do see it extending to Game 7, even though Pittsburgh is the favorite to win.” says line director David Strauss of MyBookie online sportsbook.
Game 6 is set for Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre at 8PM, 23 May.
Game Odds
Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators
Spread: Pittsburgh Penguins -1½+210
Ottawa Senators +1½-260 -145
Total:
5 O-140 / U+120
Moneyline:
Pittsburgh Penguins -145
Ottawa Senators +125
Odds By MyBookie
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