Penguins vs. Senators blog

A first for Sid
4.24.2010 / 9:17 p.m. ET

Sidney Crosby actually did something wrong -- well kind of. He was on the ice for Matt Cullen's game-opening goal 5:19 into the first period of Saturday night's Game 6 against Ottawa, the first time that's happened in this series.

Before Cullen scored on a breakaway to give the Senators the early lead, Crosby had been on ice for 14 Pittsburgh goals, but the Senators hadn't scored with him on the ice. When Crosby wasn't on the ice, Ottawa had scored 16 times and allowed 6 goals.

Crosby was on the ice again 1:51 into the second period for Chris Neil's goal and when Daniel Alfredsson scored at 9:48 of the second period to make it 3-0. In fact, the Penguins had the same six players -- goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defensemen Kris Letang and Mark Eaton, and forwards Crosby, Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz -- on the ice for all three Ottawa goals.

­--John Kreiser

Living in fear
4.19.2010 / 3:23 p.m. ET

Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza may not have made much impact on the score sheet the first three games, but that doesn't mean the Penguins aren't worried about the all-star scorers.

"I fear those guys when they're on the ice, I fear when they've had shots," said Pens coach Dan Bylsma. "Alfredsson had a great chance in Game 2, Spezza had a great chance in Game 2 where he just misses the net or we get a stick on it. Could be the difference. They again had those opportunities last night to score goals and give their team either a tie or give them a lead when it was 1-1. They had that great shift before the Malkin goal, the one-timers in the slot, those are great opportunities, those are opportunities they worked for, they had a couple great shifts. I still think they're guys we have to limit what they're doing on the ice right now, at five-on-five and on the power play."

Alfredsson a day later still was regretting the missed chances he had.

"We had some really good chances to take the lead and they just go down and score right after it," the Ottawa captain said. "Felt we played pretty good. Some areas we need to be better. We don't need to do any major changes. Tomorrow is a big game. If we win tomorrow we're right back in it. If we lose we've dug ourselves a deep hole. We look for tomorrow's game for our chance to gain momentum in the series and go from there."

Could Alfredsson and Spezza be pressuring themselves to equal Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the goal column?

"I'm sure there's a little bit of added pressure," said Senators coach Cory Clouston. "We're not expecting them to match that. We're trying to do this as a team. That's the only way we're going to have success, to have more of a balanced attack. We had it in Game 1, but we haven't had it since. It's not a competition between Spezza and Alfredsson against Malkin and Crosby. It isn't. We've got to make it more of a team emphasis. For us, anyway."

-- Adam Kimelman

Lineups and goaltenders
4.19.2010 / 3:16 p.m. ET

Senators coach Cory Clouston never reveals much in his press conferences, but today he did say he was pondering a few changes to his forward group heading into Game 3 tomorrow.

Shean Donovan has played just once since March 11 and has been a healthy scratch in all three games, but he could get into the lineup for Game 4.

"He's got experience, and he's a big body," Clouston said of the 6-foot-3, 218-pound right wing.

Another player who could make an appearance is Jonathan Cheechoo. The former 50-goal scorer was waived and sent to the AHL on Feb. 12. He was recalled for the playoffs and has been skating after practice. In 61 games before his demotion, he had just 5 goals, 14 points and a minus-13 rating.

"At one time he was a very prolific goal scorer," said Clouston. "We saw glimpses of that this year. He's a competitor. He's an intelligent player. If you're asking me if he's playing tomorrow I won't answer that until tomorrow."

Clouston also said he wasn't worried at all about goaltender Brian Elliott. The rookie has the lowest save percentage in the playoffs at .868.

"We're not really worried too much about numbers," said Clouston. "I know you can skew them anyway you want. I'm sure if you ask him he knows he's got to make a few more saves here and there. We're worried about tomorrow night. I'm not worried about his numbers. To me, you can have a great game that could skew it the other way. You've only played two, three games early on, and whether it's the regular season or the playoffs, with numbers you need more time to get a better, accurate read on them."

Clouston believes his goalie is ready for a bounce-back performance tomorrow.

"He's a guy that's always had really good bounce-back games if he hasn't had a good performance," said Clouston. "He's a competitor and he's been there for us this season. When he's had ups and downs he's been able to respond very well."

-- Adam Kimelman

No love for The Kid
4.18.2010 / 7:12 p.m. ET

Sidney Crosby was asked this morning if he thought his golden goal at the Olympics in February would earn him some slack from a pro-Senator crowd in Ottawa.

"I don't think it'll make a difference," he said with a laugh. "I don't expect (any love). Nothing."

Good thing his expectations were low, because he's getting booed vociferously every time he touches the puck.

Speaking of odd fan behavior, have you caught the Green Man act in Vancouver? Well, now they have them in Ottawa, except they're red, and they're not right next to the visiting penalty box. Still entertaining, though.

-- Adam Kimelman

Spezza: I wouldn't change a thing
4.18.2010 / 12:55 p.m. ET

Jason Spezza has had a chance to watch Sidney Crosby's remarkable play to set up Kris Letang's game-winning goal in Game 2. So would he change anything?

"I'd play it the same way again," he said. "He doesn't score the goal. He's falling over and makes the pass and Letang scores on a seeing-eye shot. If he beats me to the net and scores, then obviously there's a different way to play it, but I did a pretty good job keeping him to the outside."

Watch for yourself here and see if you agree with Spezza. Outside of tackling Crosby and taking a penalty, there really wasn't much else for him to do.

"We play it pretty good," Spezza said. "We kept him to the outside, we're all surrounding the net, we're not giving them much offensively there, we're covering the guys in the slot. Letang makes a nice shot, goes through a couple guys and Els (Brian Elliott) doesn't see it.

"They didn't have much there. You don't want to say they got lucky because it was a good shot to get it through, but the odds of that making it through three bodies again are pretty slim."

-- Adam Kimelman

McKee jumping in; Johnson, Leopold updates
4.18.2010 / 12:47 p.m. ET

Jay McKee is no stranger to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and tonight will mark the eighth time in 14 NHL seasons he's skated in the playoffs.

And playing in Ottawa is a familiar site for him, as he played his first 10 seasons with Northeast Division rival Buffalo.

"Ottawa is a team I've played the most against in my career, having been in Buffalo for 10 years," McKee told NHL.com following this morning's skate. "This is an arena I feel comfortable in."

McKee watched the first two games, but with Jordan Leopold back in Pittsburgh healing from the monster hit he absorbed from Ottawa's Andy Sutton in Game 2, the 32-year-old veteran is getting his shot.

"This is the time of year everybody wants to play," said McKee. "The fact that we're pretty deep in defense, somebody has to sit when everyone's healthy and it was me. I worked hard when I was watching and I'm ready to go."

McKee said jumping in mid-stream won't make things any different for him.

"When I was younger I might have been a little more anxious and nervous at the start, but as you get older you learn how to control your emotions better," he said. "I don't think it'll be any different missing the first two games and starting now. It won't have any effect."

Speaking of Leopold, coach Dan Bylsma gave a brief update on the defenseman: "Jordan did not come on the trip with us. He stayed back in Pittsburgh for further evaluation. Didn't see he'd be playing these two games, so he didn't come with us."

The only other Pittsburgh player with a health issue is backup goalie Brent Johnson. Johnson made the trip to Ottawa, but Bylsma said he's not quite all the way back from the flu-like symptoms that kept him out of Game 2, and he won't be available for Game 3. Brad Thiessen, who backed up Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 2, again will serve as the backup tonight. All three goalies were on the ice this morning, and Bylsma hopes to have Johnson as the insurance policy for Game 4 on Tuesday.

-- Adam Kimelman

Same old Senators
4.18.2010 / 11:45 a.m. ET

Everyone is on the ice for the Senators today, and their lines look to be the same as they were for Game 2:

Regin-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Fisher-Cullen
Neil-Kelly-Ruutu
Shannon-Smith-Winchester

On defense Brian Lee is getting some extra time with the top six as Anton Volchenkov is taking it a bit easy today.

Let's get physical
4.17.2010 / 8:18 p.m. ET

A day later, people still are talking about the big hit Ottawa's Andy Sutton laid on Pittsburgh's Jordan Leopold. Leopold won't play in Game 3, and likely will be sidelined longer.

Maxime Talbot said he and his teammates wouldn't be targeting Sutton or any other Senator, and the goal is to win the game, not seek vengeance. But it's clear both teams are ready for some nasty, physical hockey.

"Obviously the best revenge that we can have is to win the game," Talbot told the team's Web site. "We always use the mentality of a pack of wolves in the dressing room, so whatever happens, I'm sure we'll be there. But the most important thing is to win some hockey games."

Senators coach Cory Clouston said he felt bad Leopold was hurt, but he again said he thought Sutton's first-period hit was a clean, hard hockey hit -- and the kind of play he'd like to see from the rest of his team.

"We need him to do more of that," Clouston said of Sutton. "We need more guys to play physical. You never like to see a player hurt, but when you look at that play from four or five different angles, there were a lot of reasons why they were in that position. Nick Foligno is putting on backside pressure, he (Leopold) had his head down. Andy's a big man, he's 6-foot-5. If you have your head down it's going to be a target. Not easy to avoid that. His (Sutton's) arm was tight as could be to the body, his elbow wasn't stuck out. It's playoff hockey -- they're finishing their checks on us, we're going to do the same."

-- Adam Kimelman

Moving up to Ottawa
4.17.2010 / 6:27 p.m. ET

Well, after a long day of travel -- I'll spare you details -- I've arrived in Ottawa. So have the Penguins, who flew in this afternoon after practicing at Mellon Arena this morning.

One player missing from the practice was defenseman Jordan Leopold, who still is suffering from the big hit he absorbed from Ottawa's Andy Sutton on Friday. It looks like Leopold will at least miss Game 3 here on Sunday, and Tuesday's Game 4 also is doubtful.

When asked for an update on his player's condition, coach Dan Bylsma told the team's Web site that he really didn't have anything new to add. "He did not come in," he said of Leopold. "He will be re-evaluated today. He is definitely going to be day-to-day and will not be on the ice (Saturday) or (Sunday)."

That opens the door for veteran Jay McKee to get into the lineup. The Pens also recalled defenseman Ben Lovejoy from their AHL team, but it's almost a certainly that McKee plays in Game 3.

The 32-year-old 14-year veteran is no stranger to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with 55 games under his belt with the Sabres and Blues. In 62 games with the Penguins this season, he had 10 points and 54 penalty minutes.

His entry into the lineup also gives the Pens another physical presence on the blue line, and he's always been regarded as a top-notch penalty killer.

"Not only has he been a big part of our defense the whole year long, just the number of games he has played and the experience he has in these types of situations is something we have already drawn from him," Bylsma said. "He will have to draw upon it when he gets in there."

"You prepare all summer and all season long to get into the playoffs," McKee told the team's Web site. "You don't want to see your teammates get hurt like that, but it opens up a spot for me. I came here for this opportunity, so it is a good feeling."

McKee said he expects to play with Alex Goligoski, who he was paired with to start the season.

-- Adam Kimelman

Leopold out for game
4.16.2010 / 8:08 p.m. ET

According to the Penguins' PR staff, defenseman Jordan Leopold will not return following the hard hit to the head he suffered on a hit by Ottawa's Andy Sutton with 2:45 left in the first period.

-- Adam Kimelman

Crazy end to period
4.16.2010 / 7:55 p.m. ET

Well, the hate that the players were talking about building in the series certainly has reared its head.

Andy Sutton leveled Pittsburgh's Jordan Leopold with 2:45 left in the first period. At first glance the hit looked bad, but while rough, it was clean, as the hit was ruled as being a north-south collision, Sutton never left his feet and had his elbow tucked into his body at the point of contact.

The venom ramped up as the period came to an end, with Ottawa's Zack Smith and Pittsburgh's Maxime Talbot dropping the gloves after the final whistle.

Before that, the crowd was pretty quiet for most of the first half of the period, after Peter Regin's goal on the opening shift gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead just 18 seconds into the period.

Sidney Crosby's power-play goal woke the fans up when he banged in the rebound of a Chris Kunitz shot at 8:45.

We'll see when the teams come back for the second if the anger returns with them.

-- Adam Kimelman

Johnson out
4.16.2010 / 6:50 p.m. ET

The flu-like symptoms Penguins backup goalie Brent Johnson have been suffering from will sideline him for Game 2 tonight. Brad Thiessen, who was called up from AHL Wilkes/Barre-Scranton yesterday, will serve as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury tonight.

-- Adam Kimelman

Sounds from the morning of Game 2
4.16.2010 / 2:30 p.m. ET

Rusty out?
4.16.2010 / 10:50 a.m. ET

It looks like Ruslan Fedotenko could be a healthy scratch tonight for Game 2.

Coach Dan Bylsma talked yesterday about how Rupp's size and speed through the neutral zone could help the Pens get into their game -- getting pucks in behind the other team's defense and following with a strong, physical forecheck.

Rupp skated again with Maxime Talbot and Craig Adams.

Other lines saw Sidney Crosby centering Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin between Alexei Ponikarovsky and Pascal Dupuis, and Jordan Staal with Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy.

-- Adam Kimelman