Recap: Ottawa vs. Pittsburgh
Sports Network | April 21, 2010
Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby continued his torrid start to the 2010 playoffs with two goals and two assists, as Pittsburgh pushed Ottawa to the brink of elimination by posting a 7-4 win in a wild Game 4 of its Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
It was the Penguins' third consecutive win in the best-of-seven set and second in Ottawa, giving Pittsburgh a commanding 3-1 series lead with a chance to clinch at home on Thursday.
Chris Kunitz had a goal and two assists, while Maxime Talbot registered a short-handed score and an assist. Evgeni Malkin recorded his fourth goal of the series for the defending Stanley Cup champs, who have rallied following a 5-4 loss on home ice in Game 1.
Crosby now has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in the series to lead the league in playoff scoring and became only the second player in NHL history to notch at least two points in each of his team's first four games to a playoff series (Paul Coffey, 1989). It was Crosby's first four-point playoff game since Game 2 versus Ottawa in the 2008 quarterfinals.
"I feel like I'm creating things, that's what I want to do. I'm just trying to compete every night and I've been fortunate to have the puck go in. We're going to try and keep this going," Crosby said.
Matt Cooke and Selke Trophy finalist Jordan Staal also scored, Sergei Gonchar collected three assists and Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 26 saves.
Matt Cullen came up with a goal and two assists, while both Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza scored and tallied a helper for the Senators, whose goaltending wilted to the tune of 11 goals allowed at Scotiabank Place the last two games.
Brian Elliott, who was in net for Game 3's 4-2 loss, started again Tuesday and allowed four goals on 19 shots before being pulled in the second period. Pascal Leclaire made 20 saves the rest of the way.
"We have to refocus, regroup," said Senators coach Cory Clouston. "Things started to unravel at times, especially after the second goal and a couple of calls seemed to rattle us as well. We didn't make good on their turnovers, and they made good on our turnovers. That's what good teams do, they capitalize on your mistakes."
The Penguins scored five times during an eight-goal second period, which proved to be the second-highest scoring period all-time in NHL postseason history.
Pittsburgh entered the middle stanza with the game's only goal and had a 3-0 lead less than four minutes in.
For starters, the Pens broke free for an odd-man rush and Crosby wound up a stride ahead of a diving Sens defender. The "Kid" wound up for a slap shot that trickled through Elliot's pads at 3:47.
Just 12 seconds later, Talbot set up Cooke in front for a quick one-timer that snuck under Elliot's blocker for a three-goal advantage. It became a four-goal game shortly thereafter as Crosby's wrister off a right-wing rush sailed clear of Elliot's glove at 6:12, signaling the end to his outing.
However, the Senators came back with the next two scores to steal momentum. Chris Neil was able to poke the puck under a sprawled Fleury at the right post under a minute later, and Alfredsson rifled a one-timer from the left circle at 10:59.
Ottawa was then given a prime opportunity to make it a one-goal game with Staal boxed for hooking. But it was the Pens who struck for a short-handed tally. Craig Adams feathered a pass across the slot toward the right post where Talbot tipped it up and over a shifting Leclaire.
A back-and-forth period only intensified from there. Ottawa went up two men on Jay McKee's minor and Cullen took a pass from Spezza across the crest of the goal crease to score at the right post.
Finally, with 1:49 remaining in the period, Kunitz's putback of a Bill Guerin shot capped the eight-goal barrage and gave Pittsburgh a 6-3 lead.
The Pens continued to hurt themselves with penalties and gave Ottawa another two-man advantage early in the third. Spezza capitalized to make it a 6-4 game at 7:37, though, the Sens couldn't get any closer.
Staal's chip-in on the power play during the latter half of the period accounted for the final margin.
Pittsburgh received three power-play opportunities in the opening period, cashing in on one as Malkin cranked a one-timer from the right circle to beat Elliot on the short side. Fleury was hardly tested on six shots in the first 20 minutes.
Malkin has four goals and one assist in the series for the fourth-seeded Pens, who were 2-for-7 on the power play...The fifth-seeded Senators went 2-for-5 with the man advantage and amassed 54 penalty minutes compared with Pittsburgh's 16...Alfredsson and Spezza have points in all four games of the series...Pittsburgh defenseman Jordan Leopold sat for a second straight game with a head injury sustained in Game 2...Erik Karlsson picked up a pair of assists in the loss.
