It won't win any awards for game of the year, but the Senators did what they felt they needed to do, and they executed their game plan to the point that the Penguins were taken out of theirs, and the resulting 2-1 overtime victory was enough to give the Senators a 1-0 series lead and wrestle home ice advantage from their opponent.
Craig Anderson brought his "A" game, showing a focus and attention that Senators fans knew he could bring but just hasn't shown enough of. His reactions were quick and sure, and as the game went on you got the feeling that Jean-Gabriel Pageau's first period marker might be enough.
However, the Pens got one late, a deflection by Evgeni Malkin, sliding under Anderson's pad to force overtime, and once again the guy who was the bane of a lot of fans' existence that proved to be the hero. Bobby Ryan, who had a brutal regular season and a playoff of redemption, outraced Olli Maatta to a loose puck and went backhand shelf on Marc-Andre Fleury for the winning goal five minutes into the extra frame.
If you aren't an Ottawa fan with a vested interest in the result, it probably wasn't the most exciting game, with Ottawa "trapping" even more than usual. There wasn't as much of the standing up at the blue line as usual, but more dropping back and forcing the Pens to run the gauntlet. Like it or not, (and as a Senators fan you probably should like it) it was certainly effective and the Penguins had a tough time getting through, and when they did, Anderson was there.
The Senators might be well advised to be ready to adjust to the Penguins' inevitable adjustments. They need to be ready for the Pens to switch to a dump and chase to force the Senators to turn and get the puck rather than having the Penguins try to skate through the neutral zone with the puck.
The Penguins couldn't capitalize on a power-play filled first period, where they had four penalties including a 45 second 5-on-3. The Senators did a nice job of not allowing the Penguins' stars to get loose and they were visibly frustrated.
I made a mistake yesterday in saying that if the Senators had a chance that Erik Karlsson would have to be their best player, and probably the best player in the series. Well, Saturday night Karlsson was good, but didn't take over the game like he can and that also bodes well, because there will be a point where he is the dominant force, and for them to win on a night where he wasn't is a huge bonus.
The Senators moved to 6-1 in overtime games, and eight of their 9 wins have been by one goal. The led for more time in this game than they did for the entire Rangers' series.
So they will do it all over again on Monday night, and while happy with a guaranteed split, imagine how ecstatic and crazy Canadian Tire Centre will be if they come home up 2-0 on the defending Champions?
It definitely won't be easy, but it could now happen.