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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