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Game Day: Senators @ Penguins - go on or go home |
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You could utter a thousand cliches, and I am sure I will put out a few in the next few paragraphs, but there is no tomorrow.
For the second time in a row, the Senators face elimination at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is also the second time in these playoffs the Pens face elimination, having bested the Capitals in game 7 to advance to this conference final. Both clubs are 1-0 with their season on the line.
The last time Ottawa was in Pittsburgh it was a night to forget as nothing went right for Ottawa. Pittsburgh jumped out to a 4-0 first period lead, Craig Anderson was pulled twice and when the dust settled it was a 7-0 Penguins win.
That game, like the previous 6 are in the past, and all that matters is what happens when the puck drops tonight.
Like game 6, the Senators need to keep things close, while the Penguins will be looking for a start akin to game 5, using the raucous hometown crowd to help propel them to an easy win.
Teams play the whole season for home ice advantage, and that is what the Penguins have. However, historically the home team wins 58.3% of the time, meaning the advantage might not be as great as you might expect.
The Penguins have more top-end talent, but in a single game it all comes down to who wants it more, who executes their respective game plan better, and quite often which goaltender makes the key save at the key time.
Ottawa is one of 2 active franchises (Arizona being the other) to have never won a game 7 (0 for 5), but they haven't played one in 5 years and there are only 4 players who played in that loss to the Rangers on the roster that are expected to play tonight - Anderson, Erik Karlsson, Kyle Turris and Zack Smith. Chris Neil was there, but not expected to play tonight and Mark Stone was with the team in 2012 but played only game 5 of the series, that they had a 3-2 lead before dropping Games 6 and 7.
The Penguins won their last 2 Game 7's, in the Conference final against the Lightning last season and the win to eliminate Washington a couple of weeks ago.
Quite often it is not the stars that determine who wins, but goals from somewhat unexpected sources that make the difference. There have been 2 game 7's so far, and both saw the winning team score twice. For Pittsburgh, it was Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist doing the honors, while in Anaheim's 2-1 win to eliminate Edmonton it was Andrew Cogliano and Nick Ritchie.
Nobody can predict what will happen in a winner takes all game, but the Senators have already professed that their plan will be to bore the crowd out of the building. It has proven effective more often than not, much to the chagrin of many, but it means everyone has to be pulling in the same direction. It is also a risky play, because if they fall behind by more than a goal they really have to open up which invites a potential repeat of Sunday.
There have been no confirmation yet on what the Senators lineup will look like, with a lot of question marks and potential combinations. The same thing goes for the Penguins, who could get a couple of their injured bodies back as well. Whatever 19 Senators players take to the ice, there is a lot of history they can erase with a solid performance. Win or lose, it has been a great ride so far, and that won't change, but it would be far better if they could make it last a little while longer.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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