As I said yesterday, no one does losing like the Pirates...and no one does multiple-OT games quite like the Penguins.
Games like last night historically make household names out of Keith Primeau, Petr Nedved, and Petr Sykora (now that I think about it, there must be something about the name "Petr" in games like these). Unfortunately, we can now add Ottawa defenseman Matt "Two Goals in the Regular Season" Carkner to that eclectic list, as he scored his first goal of the 2010 postseason at 7:06 of the third overtime, buying the Senators another game and sending the series back to Ottawa for Game Six. Sens 4, Pens 3 in Triple OT. Yes, it certainly stings - but then again, I'd rather lose a game 4-3 than 20-0, given the choice of outcomes in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
What disappointed fans the most (other than the missed opportunity to close out a series at home) was that the Pens admirably dug out of a 2-0 hole with goals from Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz. And Sidney Crosby continued his assault on the playoff scoring title, with a goal and an assist, giving him 13 points in five postseason games. But once that extra period hits in the playoffs, anything can happen, and you leave yourself open to one mistake ending the game with no chance for redemption. It goes without saying that the real mission is not to get to overtime in the first place.
Panic is surely to set in to the more-edgy factions of Penguin Nation, most notably because of the play of scorching Senators goalie Pascal Leclaire on the heels of his 56-save performance. But there's a lot of hockey left to play, and who knows the toll that this game will take on individual players from both sides? There were 95 hits handed out between the two teams last night; each team had one player with over 40 minutes of ice time, with many others in the high 30s; and the goalies faced a combined 103 shots, each one testing their mental toughness. Where Game Six goes could depend solely on how quickly the teams' bodies - and minds - can get over Game Five, which was the longest game in this year's playoffs, the longest game in Senators history, and the second-longest game in Mellon Arena history. We'll find out in a little more than a day from now, as the tired bodies of two teams travel to Ottawa for a compelling Game Six on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
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