PITTSBURGH — The team once considered a favourite to reach the Stanley Cup final looked more like a first-round patsy, as the Ottawa Senators lost the opening game of their best-of-seven series 4-0 to the Pittsburgh Penguins last night.
The Penguins scored early, added to their lead later in the first period and then relied on stingy penalty killing to keep Ottawa off the scoreboard for the third time in its past five games.
Ottawa's scoring chances were minimal, there was no sustained pressure at even strength and their seven power-play chances produced little more. One of hockey's top-scoring teams the past few seasons has hit a goal-scoring drought at the most inopportune time.
"We didn't get a lot of scoring chances," Ottawa head coach Bryan Murray said. "We had a few, but not many. We found a way to miss the net a few times too often."
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby emerges at the start. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
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- Ottawa Senators
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Daniel Alfredsson
- Mike Commodore
- Sidney Crosby
- Mike Fisher
- Marc-Andre Fleury
- Martin Gerber
- Dany Heatley
- Chris Kelly
- Evgeni Malkin
- Brooks Orpik
- Wade Redden
- Gary Roberts
- Anton Volchenkov
- Ryan Whitney
Take out Ottawa's 8-2 blowout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last week and the Senators have scored just one goal in 256 minutes of hockey. That kind of production isn't going to keep Ottawa in many games against the Penguins, who got good scoring chances from their three top lines and could've put the game away with a few more well-placed shots in the second period.
By the time Evgeni Malkin scored Pittsburgh's third goal from the edge of the goal crease with slightly more than six minutes remaining in the game, there was no sense at all that the Senators were on the verge of a rally.
Despite to the shutout loss, at least some Ottawa players weren't so distraught at a result they suggested did not reflect the difference between the two teams.
"We did some positive things," Jason Spezza said. "We just have to find ways to score goals. We created a lot. Goals are harder to come by at this time of year, but I thought we had 15 or 20 scoring chances and this was just a night the puck didn't want to go in for us."
Already ravaged by injuries, the Senators had more bad luck when defenceman Anton Volchenkov left during the second period after being hit on the head with a Malkin slap shot.
Murray suggested Volchenkov, who was bleeding badly, will be ready for tomorrow's game. But even if he is, Ottawa is facing the possibility of going down 2-0 in the series with a lineup that's already missing forwards Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Kelly and Mike Fisher.
Though it's often said the Senators are the same team that went to the Stanley Cup final last spring, that is a myth. There were nine players on the ice for Ottawa last night — roughly 40 per cent of the roster — who did not step on the ice for the Senators during that playoff run.
No one was missed more than Alfredsson, whose absence was especially noticeable during Ottawa's failed power plays, which included two 5-on-3s.
"Five-on-three has to be a turning point the game," winger Dany Heatley said. "[Alfredsson] is a real threat up there on the top with the one-timer. He was definitely missed out there."
Of the few positives for Ottawa was the play of goaltender Martin Gerber, who could hardly be blamed for a couple of goals (his defenceman bumped into each other and were lying on the ice on the first one) and played steadily through most of the final two periods.
At the other end of the ice, Ottawa's forwards will have to find a way to create more chances on goalie Marc-André Fleury, who didn't have to be spectacular in his first career playoff shutout.
"Nobody did it tonight, so we have to find a way the next time," Murray said.
The Senators' belief in themselves was tested early when the Penguins scored 68 seconds after the opening puck drop.
Gary Roberts, Ottawa's playoff nemesis dating back to his days with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scored with a backhand shot from in front of the net after he'd helped dig the puck away from blueliner Wade Redden behind the Ottawa net.
"We said before we feel like we're a much more mature team [from a year ago]," Penguins centre Sidney Crosby said. "We're much different and much improved and I think we proved that tonight."
- 7 - Number of unsuccessful Ottawa power plays.
- 68 - Number of seconds it took Pittsburgh to score its first goal.
- 9 - Number of Senators in last night's game who did not play during last spring's run to the Stanley Cup final.
14
