Penguins Find Identity, Thump Senators 3-2

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The thought no doubt flashed through the mind of Penguins coach Mike Sullivan as he scanned the visitors’ locker room at Canadian Tire Centre following Wednesday’s dismal Game Three loss to Ottawa.

He’d just witnessed the Pens’ worst effort since assuming the coaching job 17 months earlier—certainly their worst postseason performance. During an interminable 60 minutes that seemed to drag on forever, his team was soundly outplayed in nearly every facet of that dreadful game.

It didn’t require an advanced degree in rocketry to see the Pens were trending in the wrong direction. Following a smoldering 6-1 start to the playoffs, Sully’s boys had dropped five of eight. They’d lost their mojo, too, scoring only a dozen goals over that dreary span.

Worse yet, key performers Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust and Justin Schultz were out. With a lone goal in his past three games, Sidney Crosby—the team’s heart and soul—appeared drained and all-too-mortal. Evgeni Malkin, too. Even the team’s bulwark, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, had collapsed under a hail of pucks against the surprisingly offensive Senators.

Sullivan must’ve felt a little like Captain Smith after Titanic struck the iceberg.

His immediate challenge? How to get his beaten, battle-weary troops to refocus while rediscovering their on-ice identity, in hostile environs to boot.

Sullivan latched on to the one positive from Game Three—the play of Matt Murray. Standing like a lighthouse amid a howling gale, the Thunder Bay native had stopped 19 of 20 shots and looked exceedingly sharp doing it.

Displaying the brass of a riverboat gambler, Sullivan named Murray as his Game Four starter, an announcement that sent shock waves through the hockey world. By lifting the goaltending reins from the ultra-popular Fleury—arguably the team’s MVP and a legitimate Conn Smythe Trophy candidate—he sent a message to his troops, crystal clear.

I’ll do anything to win.

The shakeup didn’t end there. Pulling out all stops, Sullivan made significant adjustments to his line combinations. He inserted feisty rookie Josh Archibald and made sure each forward unit had a puck-hunting banger on wing. Chris Kunitz rejoined Crosby, Scott Wilson moved alongside Malkin and Carter Rowney skated next to Nick Bonino. Archibald partnered with “Team Dad” Matt Cullen.

The moves paid off. Buttressed by Murray—who coolly repelled an early Ottawa thrust—the Pens found their legs. Wilson crashed the Senators’ net in kamikaze fashion midway through opening frame to set the tone. Sens goalie Craig Anderson, who enjoyed kid-glove protection in the first three contests, was in for a rougher night.

In a game of unlikely black-and-gold heroes, Olli Maatta was the first to emerge. Joining the rush in the closing seconds of the period, the baby-faced defenseman took a pass from Crosby, swooped around Zack Smith with an uncharacteristic burst and beat Anderson to the short side.

The goal galvanized the locals, spurring them to greater heights. Leading from in front, Crosby swatted Jake Guentzel’s dish pass home for a power-play goal at 7:41 of the second period. Four minutes later, Brian Dumoulin flicked a long shot-pass off the skate of Sens bruiser Dion Phaneuf and in. It was “Dumo’s” first goal of the playoffs…a timely tally that proved to be the game winner.

Predictably, the Senators pushed back. Clarke MacArthur foiled Murray’s shutout bid late in the second period with a nifty redirect. Ottawa pulled to within one on a double-deflection goal with five minutes to play, setting up a tense finish. A too-many-men-on-the-ice infraction with 37 seconds remaining added to the drama.

Fortunately, the Pens hung tough. They prevailed, 3-2, to even the series at 2 games apiece.

At the end of the game, NBCSN showed a replay of the final moments through a camera set up behind our net. I focused my attention on Murray. I watched as the kid tracked the puck, moving from the left post to the center of his crease, then to the right post with robotic precision. Head up, catching glove poised and cucumber cool. In complete command of his faculties as the final nerve-wracking seconds drained from the clock.

A reassuring sight, indeed.

Puckpourri

The Penguins were forced to play with five defensemen after Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan crushed Chad Ruhwedel with an elbow late in the first period. Ruhwedel sustained a cut on his nose and a concussion.

Ian Cole went after Ryan, touching off a scrum near the Pens’ net. Cole was issued a roughing penalty; Ryan was not penalized.

Maatta (24:58) led the remaining black-and-gold defensemen in ice time, followed by Dumoulin (23:29) and Trevor Daley (23:03). Cole finished a plus-2 and registered a game-high six hits, tying Wilson for the club lead.

Crosby paced the attack with a goal and an assist. Sid had five shots on goal. Guentzel recorded two assists.

The Pens outshot the Sens, 35-26. Ottawa held the edge in shot attempts (52-50), hits (44-36) and faceoffs (31-28).