Evgeni Malkin scored the first goal of Game 4 and fourth goal of the playoffs in Ottawa’s Scotiabank Place, setting the pace for a wild 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins victory.
The Sidney Crosby to Sergei Gonchar to Evgeni Malkin scoring combination gave us two goals in Game 1. The trio struck again in Tuesday night’s game. After Gonchar received a pass from Crosby at the point, he faked out the defense, allowing him to pass to Malkin for a 40-foot laser that beat Senators goalie Brian Elliott.
Malkin’s goal snowballed into three more scores for the Pens before the Senators finally caught their breath and managed to get on the board with a hardworking effort from Chris Neil.
As well as Malkin has been playing, it is Crosby who has 11 points thus far in the series with 4 goals and 7 assists in a spectacular all-around effort.
Crosby’s first goal of the game came off a giveaway in their own zone from Ottawa’s Jason Spezza.
Gonchar scooped up the loose puck and passed to Chris Kunitz, who led the break. Spezza, after losing the puck, put in a lackluster defensive effort against Crosby. The result was an undefended Crosby scoring easily at 3:47 of the second period.
Just 12 seconds later, Matt Cooke gave the Pens a 3–0 lead. Crosby scored again two minutes after Cooke’s goal to stun the crowd into shocked silence.
However, if there is anything we have learned about the NHL, it is that no lead is safe. As quickly and as swiftly as the Pens struck, the Sens struck back. Neil’s goal came a minute after Crosby’s second score and the Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson scored less than four minutes after Neil, making the score 4–2 Penguins.
All of a sudden, the rejuvenated crowd was infused with the belief that the Sens could somehow complete the rally, especially with a power play coming up.
The best way for a team to immediately zap the energy out of an arena? Score a short-handed goal.
The Pens did exactly that. They put a lid on the game with Maxime Talbot’s short-handed goal and the Sens could get no closer than two goals. Talbot, whose coach Dan Bylsma raved about earlier in the day, finally scored his first goal in the playoff series.
Although the Pens managed to score seven times, they still gave up four goals. “Obviously we scored some goals but we’re not really happy with the way we defend,” Talbot said. Nevertheless, the Pens do not have much to complain about.
They are now one step closer to defending their 2009 Stanley Cup with a 3–1 series lead over Ottawa. They can finish the Sens and clinch a conference semifinal berth after playing just five games on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
As for the Sens, after goalie Brian Elliott’s awful stat line of 4 goals allowed on 19 shots, he was benched in favor of Pascal Leclaire. Coach Cory Clouston was understandably upset at how his team performed. “We just gotta get back to our game,” he said.
The first step toward getting back to that game could be determining who starts at goalie in Game 5.
The Sidney Crosby to Sergei Gonchar to Evgeni Malkin scoring combination gave us two goals in Game 1. The trio struck again in Tuesday night’s game. After Gonchar received a pass from Crosby at the point, he faked out the defense, allowing him to pass to Malkin for a 40-foot laser that beat Senators goalie Brian Elliott.
Malkin’s goal snowballed into three more scores for the Pens before the Senators finally caught their breath and managed to get on the board with a hardworking effort from Chris Neil.
As well as Malkin has been playing, it is Crosby who has 11 points thus far in the series with 4 goals and 7 assists in a spectacular all-around effort.
Crosby’s first goal of the game came off a giveaway in their own zone from Ottawa’s Jason Spezza.
Gonchar scooped up the loose puck and passed to Chris Kunitz, who led the break. Spezza, after losing the puck, put in a lackluster defensive effort against Crosby. The result was an undefended Crosby scoring easily at 3:47 of the second period.
Just 12 seconds later, Matt Cooke gave the Pens a 3–0 lead. Crosby scored again two minutes after Cooke’s goal to stun the crowd into shocked silence.
However, if there is anything we have learned about the NHL, it is that no lead is safe. As quickly and as swiftly as the Pens struck, the Sens struck back. Neil’s goal came a minute after Crosby’s second score and the Senators’ Daniel Alfredsson scored less than four minutes after Neil, making the score 4–2 Penguins.
All of a sudden, the rejuvenated crowd was infused with the belief that the Sens could somehow complete the rally, especially with a power play coming up.
The best way for a team to immediately zap the energy out of an arena? Score a short-handed goal.
The Pens did exactly that. They put a lid on the game with Maxime Talbot’s short-handed goal and the Sens could get no closer than two goals. Talbot, whose coach Dan Bylsma raved about earlier in the day, finally scored his first goal in the playoff series.
Although the Pens managed to score seven times, they still gave up four goals. “Obviously we scored some goals but we’re not really happy with the way we defend,” Talbot said. Nevertheless, the Pens do not have much to complain about.
They are now one step closer to defending their 2009 Stanley Cup with a 3–1 series lead over Ottawa. They can finish the Sens and clinch a conference semifinal berth after playing just five games on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
As for the Sens, after goalie Brian Elliott’s awful stat line of 4 goals allowed on 19 shots, he was benched in favor of Pascal Leclaire. Coach Cory Clouston was understandably upset at how his team performed. “We just gotta get back to our game,” he said.
The first step toward getting back to that game could be determining who starts at goalie in Game 5.
