PENS ADVANCE IN DRAMATIC FASHION

Pascal Dupuis added another chapter to the storied annals of Penguin playoff history, ending their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators in dramatic fashion with a goal 9:56 into overtime, giving the Pens a spot in the second round with a 4-3 win on Saturday night.

Dupuis' goal completed an amazing Pittsburgh comeback, clawing back from a 3-1 hole in the third period behind goals from Bill Guerin and Matt Cooke, who scored twice on the night. The Penguin secondary scoring was huge in this one, considering the fact that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were held mostly in check. The dynamic duo was limited to one Malkin assist on the evening. 

A major storyline in this game was the two goals lost on video replays, one for each team. A Mike Rupp goal that would've tied the game at one was wiped out for the Pens, and a Mike Fisher goal that would've given the Senators a commanding 4-1 lead was taken off the board for Ottawa. But I'm sure Carrie Underwood will make Fisher feel better when he's golfing next week.

As for the goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Penguins, and  the smoldering Pascal Leclaire stopped 39 of 43 for the Senators. But make no doubt about it, this game turned in the critical third period, when Pittsburgh scored twice and outshot Ottawa 18-4. 

It was bad enough that this series was forced to a sixth game (and another overtime contest at that), but make no doubt about it - the Penguins wanted no part of a seventh game, even if it was at the Igloo. This series had to end tonight, so kudos to Dupuis for making that happen. For his efforts, he will receive a lifelong entry in the lengthy list of electric Penguin postseason moments, and his teammates get a pass into the next round of the NHL's championship tournament.

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PENS DROP A DOUBLEHEADER

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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AN OLD-FASHIONED SHOOTOUT

Fans of defense covered their eyes last night as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators combined for eight goals in the second period of a 7-4 Penguins win that puts the Sens' playoff life one more push closer to the cliff. The eight goals in the second were one short of the NHL playoff record for goals in a period.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Links a-plenty after the jump, but first, BREAKING NEWS: the Steelers traded a seventh-round pick to Tampa for Byron Leftwich.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

PENS BOUNCE BACK TO EVEN THE SERIES

The Pittsburgh Penguins rallied nicely from a disappointing Game One performance with a physical 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night, evening the series at one game each as it goes back to Ottawa for a pivotal Game Three on Sunday.

Friday night was yet another signature game in the storied career of Sidney Crosby, who scored the Pens' first goal, swept away a sure Ottawa goal on an Anton Volchenkov shot that crept inches from the goal line, and set up the Penguins' second goal, crossing the goalie trapezoid three times and dazzling the Mellon Arena faithful before dishing the puck to Kris Letang for the game-winner at 15:48 of the third. The Letang setup was a trademark Crosby moment, one that's destined to be on some future "Best Of..." list for years to come; but more importantly, it ended up winning the game for the Pens.

The Penguins raised their play on a number of levels on Friday, first and foremost on defense and between the pipes, where Marc-Andre Fleury pitched a shutout after a hiccup 18 seconds into the first period, once again displaying his uncanny ability to rebound from a bad outing. The Flower would stop 19 of the mere 20 shots he faced, besting Senators goalie Brian Elliott, who finished with 29 saves on 31 shots in his second career playoff start.

Play was undoubtedly more spirited in Game Two, with the Penguins dishing out a whopping 52 hits as opposed to 38 in Game One. Unfortunately, Senators defenseman Andy Sutton felt the need to jump at Jordan Leopold and hit him with an arm to the head, instantly sending Leopold to the ice and out of the game. Of course, there was no penalty, as the NHL was apparently playing his game under the long ago-established Garage League rules.



As of this writing, Leopold is being evaluated, but he has had concussion issues in the past. This clearly does not fall under the 'good news' category. But Max Talbot would show his disapproval for all things Senator at the end of the first period, when he squared off with Zack Smith. 

Even with the win, nitpickers can look to the continued absence of the third line on the scoring sheet and the potential loss of Leopold as reasons to fret. But as I like to say, a win is a win is a win. And this was quite a win.

*Sorry for the extreme lateness - my power was knocked out moments after the game last night - so I'm going with the "better late than never" approach to this post. Not a good year for Allegheny Power in my neighborhood.

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators meet for Game Two tonight, and all eyes will be on Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after his overwhelming performance in the series' first game. But as the PG points out, "In his first three postseason runs as the Penguins' go-to goalie, Fleury allowed four or more goals 10 times. He is 8-2 in the game that followed, with two shutouts and two one-goal efforts. He also allowed two goals in four of those games, and three in the other two."

So based on his playoff history, there's an 80% chance that the Flower will allow two goals or less tonight. If that's the case, scoring four goals once again would mean a much more palatable outcome for the home team and its fans.

On the injury front, Ottawa will be without second-line forward Milan Michalek for the remainder of the postseason after he tore the ACL in his left knee during Game 1, joining forward Alexei Kovalev (knee) and defenseman Filip Kuba (back) on the injured list. For the Pens, Brent Johnson missed Thursday's practice due to flu-like symptoms, so the team recalled Brad Thiessen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Gametime is set for 7 p.m. tonight at the Igloo. [PG]

Lots more to catch up on after the jump:

PENS COME UP SHORT IN GAME ONE

An early 1-0 lead was as good as it would get for the Penguins in their 2010 Stanley Cup Playoff opener at Mellon Arena, eventually falling to the Ottawa Senators by a final tally of 5-4.

PENS-SENS TALE OF THE TAPE

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)

Wednesday, April 14 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

Friday, April 16 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

Sunday, April 18 at Ottawa 6:30 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

Tuesday, April 20 at Ottawa 7 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

*Thursday, April 22 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

*Saturday, April 24 at Ottawa 7 p.m. ET CBC, VERSUS

*Tuesday, April 27 at Pittsburgh 7 p.m. ET CBC

If we can take a break from the Steeler legal/gossip stuff for a while and actually get back to sports, Wednesday will be as good an opportunity as any to break the monotony, with the Penguins and Senators ready to mix it up in Game 1 at the Igloo.

The series tale of the tape is after the jump:

PENGUINS-SENATORS PLAYOFF SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The Penguins' first-round playoff schedule against the Ottawa Senators has been set, as the series kicks off at Mellon Arena on Wednesday night, with a 7 p.m. start. The national broadcast schedule has not yet been announced.

The entire first-round slate for Pens-Sens looks like this:

Wednesday, April 14, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.

Friday, April 16, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 18, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 20, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.

*Thursday, April 22, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.

*Saturday, April 24, Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00 p.m.

*Tuesday, April 27, Ottawa at PITTSBURGH, 7:00 p.m.

* if necessary 

Penguins To Open At Home on Wednesday, Friday In First-Round Playoff Series Against Ottawa [PittsburghPenguins.com]

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PENS END REGULAR SEASON ON HIGH NOTE

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed their 2009-10 season in dramatic fashion on Sunday, with a 6-5 overtime win on New York Islander ice. The game was meaningless, but it did get Sidney Crosby a share of the Rocket Richard Trophy, with his 50th and 51st goals of the season. He will split the title with Tampa's Steven Stamkos, who scored his 51st on an empty-netter with 14 seconds in their Sunday win against Florida. Crosby also added three assists for a five-point day, giving him a final tally of 109 for the season - second-highest in his career behind his 120 in 2006-07.

Jordan Leopold won it with 34.4 seconds in the extra period, Evgeni Malkin scored two goals, and Brent Johnson won his 10th game of the season for the Pens, who were playing without Brooks Orpik, Alexei Ponikarosvky, Matt Cooke, and Chris Kunitz. The game also featured a dropping of the gloves between Eric Godard and Joel Rechlicz:

With the regular season formalities now out of the way, a fanbase awaits to see if the Penguins will finally hit the long-awaited "on switch" for the second-season, where they once again meet Ottawa for the third time in four postseasons. The Pens and Sens played to a 2-2 draw in four games this season, most recently a 4-1 Ottawa win on January 28 at Mellon Arena. Ottawa was led in scoring this season by Daniel Alfredsson, (20/51/71) and Jason Spezza (23/34/57). They also boast former Penguin rabble-rouser Jarkko Ruutu, who will surely try to get under his former teammates' skin in this series.

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PENS-SENS A DRAW

PENGUINS (1-0) 4

SENATORS (0-0-1) 3

OT

---

SENATORS (1-0-1) 3

PENGUINS (1-1) 1

The Penguins concluded the Swedish Chef Memorial Cup on Sunday with a 3-1 loss to the Senators, ending an overseas trip that also included a 4-1 win against Finland's Jokerit (which, unfortunately, does not count in the NHL standings), and Saturday's 4-3 regular season opener win against Ottawa.

Saturday's game started off with national anthems for about 18 countries, followed by the always-fun ceremonial puck drop, with the honors done by Mats Sundin. The win was highlighted by a Tyler Kennedy goal sandwich, as he scored goals #1 and #4 in the kickoff W. The Pens also got a shorthander from Geno Malkin and a goal from Rob Scuderi, which put him on pace for 82. Somehow, I doubt he gets there. Call it a hunch.

The Pens' power-play was non-existent, going an Andy LaRoche-esque 0-for-7. They were outhit, 39-23, and outshot, 35-30. Fortunately, the only stat that mattered was "goals", and the Pens got the better of Ottawa in that category.

----

It was back to the Globe Arena for the second half of this away-and-away, and the outcome was less-than-desirable.

The Pens could not solve Ottawa goalie Alex Auld, to the point that Michel Therrien was juggling lines and using goal machine Kennedy on Sidney Crosby's right wing. Their power play ended the series at 1-for-16 after Alex Goligoski scored their lone goal with 0.8 seconds left in the game. Yikes.

Game two was all about Auld's 30 saves, Dany Heatley's two goals, and two assists from hometown boy Daniel Alfredsson, who said this weekend ranked among the highlights of his career.

The Pens looked, shall we say, unorganized, with all of the various line combinations and unproductive power play. They've got plenty to work on before the home opener Saturday night against David Puddy and the Devils. But 1-1 isn't a bad way to start the season, especially in light of all the travel, unfamiliar surroundings, and unfamiliar teammates that the Penguins have had to deal with in this young season. There's a lot of hockey to be played. The best is yet to come.

PENS 4, JOKERIT 1

The Pens raised their record to 1-0 in overseas games in 2008, disposing of the Finnish Elite team Jokerit by a 4-1 count this morning/afternoon.

The leading scorer was...drum roll...Sidney Crosby, who assisted on three of the four goals. Penguin lamplighters included Evgeni Malkin with a power play goal in the first, Miroslav Satan (set up by Sid and Ruslan Fedotenko) in the second, Tyler Kennedy from hometown boy Janne Pesonen in the third, and an empty netter by Pascal Dupuis with 13 seconds to play.

Marc-Andre Fleury shut out Jokerit for 33:03 and was replaced by Dany Sabourin, who allowed one goal, a penalty shot by Janne Lahti as a result of Brooks Orpik hauling him down.

The Pens finished the preseason 4-0-1 and are ready for the regular season, where their undefeated ways should undoubtedly continue long into 2009, or so I hope. The first victim will be the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at 2:30 PM, and you can watch it at Mellon Arena.

MURAL THIS

PENGUINS 4

SENATORS 1

A lot was made about the mural plastered outside the visitors' locker room in Ottawa, one which illustrates the Senators escorting the Penguins out of the 2006-07 playoffs. Sure, it was posted before the Senators knew they were playing the flightless birds in round one. But universally, it was recognized as a pretty classless act, if for no other reason than the non-attempt to cover it up as a courtesy to their first-round opponent.

So the mural stayed, much to the chagrin of Penguin Nation. It was extra motivation for a team that already had plenty of reasons to despise their opponent. Was that the little mental boost that the Penguins needed in a tough road playoff game? We'll never know, but there's one thing we can say with a great deal of certainty: the Ottawa Senators are teetering on the cliff of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Sens got Daniel Alfredsson back (to a standing ovation), which was definitely a motivational tool. The crowd was behind the team, the house was a-rockin', and the Penguins (especially Marc-Andre Fleury, who's quietly having a great playoff run) withstood just about everything Ottawa threw at them.

After a scoreless first period, Ottawa drew first blood with a Nick Foligno goal 1:11 into the second. The Pens answered about five minutes later, as Maxime "Superstar" Talbot scored to tie everything up at one. As the clock ticked to zero, there would be just 20 minutes left to decide this one. But the Penguins needed just 12 seconds to officially put this out of reach, as Sidney Crosby put one by Martin Gerber for what would be the deciding goal. A little more than a minute later, Jordan Staal tacked on the Penguins' third goal of the evening, and at 11:05, the self-destructing Senators allowed goal number four, Marian Hossa's first playoff goal as a Penguin. 4-1, Pens win, Pens win. See ya Wednesday night; don't forget to bring your brooms to Ottawa.

Notes:

--Gary Roberts did not play due to a groin injury, and was spotted in a hockey celebrity-filled luxury box on his Blackberry.

--Trib wrapup and nice photo gallery here

--Ottawa Sun recap here

--The Pens outshot the Sens, 38-34.

--Marian Hossa was FSN's Player of the Game for his one goal, two assist performance.

--The Russian Syklone Line combined for one point, a Ryan Malone assist.

--When the Penguins grab a 3-0 series lead, they are 6-1. They blew a 3-0 lead in 1975 against the Islanders, one of only two times that such a comeback has ever happened.

--The PG's excellent Empty Netters wondered if this Pirate ad was worthy of 1/4 of the screen. The answer is an emphatic NO.

--Game Four goes down Wednesday night at Ottawa. The puck drops at 7, the Senators drop a few hours later.

Get Your Pens-Jokerit Tickets

Where will you be on October 2? Because the Penguins will be at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland for a matchup with Jokerit, a team in Finland's top professional league that's produced Esa Tikkanen, Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne, and numerous other players with consecutive letters in their names. Jokerit's current roster features former Penguin Matt Hussey, one of two Americans on the squad, and they are coached by ex-Penguin Doug Shedden.

Searching for more information on this historical matchup, I bring you this news from the Jokerit official website:

JOKERIT SAA VASTAANSA KIEKKOMAAILMAN KUUMIMMAT NUORISOTÄHDET SIDNEY CROSBYN JA EVGENI MALKININJokereiden pääomistajan Harry ”Hjallis” Harkimon vuonna 1994 aloittama perinne NHL-yhteistyöstä saa jatkoa ensi syksynä, kun jääkiekon Pohjois-Amerikan ammattilaisliigan kärkijoukkueisiin lukeutuva Pittsburgh Penguins saapuu Helsinkiin näytösottelua varten. Penguins kohtaa Jokerit Hartwall Areenalla lokakuun toisena päivänä.NHL:n tähtiryhmä aloittaa virallisen kautensa heti seuraavana viikonloppuna poikkeuksellisesti Ruotsissa, kun Tukholman Globen-halli isännöi kaksi Pittsburgh Penguinsin ja Ottawa Senatorsin välistä kamppailua 4. ja 5. päivinä lokakuuta. Myös Tsekeissä pelataan samaan aikaan kaksi virallista NHL-ottelua, joissa kohtaavat Prahan Sazka Arenalla New York Rangers ja Tampa Bay Lightning.

I can't speak for you, but that clears up everything for me.

The Penguins start the 2008-09 NHL campaign against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 4-5 in Stockholm, Sweden. It is still unknown if they will play any games on North American ice next season.

By the way, in Penguin news that's actually relevant today, Sidney Crosby will miss tonight's Winter Classic rematch with Buffalo as he nurses a sore right ankle.

Jokerit [Wikipedia]

Jokerit [Official Website]

Pens to play exhibition against Finnish pro team Jokerit [ESPN]

Penguins choose to rest Crosby after he feels pain in morning skate [ESPN]