This Day in Penguins History: Kunitz's Game 7 double-OT winner

On this day three years ago, Chris Kunitz scored in double overtime of Game 7 against the Ottawa Senators to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 win and send the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final. It's one of those legendary goals where you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened.

For me personally, I was standing outside of the Penguins locker room at PPG Paints Arena, so I didn't actually get to see it live. But what I love the most about re-watching the goal is watching the bowl explode after the fans in attendance realize that the puck has gone in the net.

In honor of the goal's anniversary, I put together a mini oral history of the game, featuring the night's goal scorers and those who were on the ice for the winner.

Heading into the game, Kunitz hadn't scored a goal since Feb. 16, when Sidney Crosby earned his 1,000th NHL point on the primary assist (which was a sign of things to come). The 37-year-old was playing in a reduced role, skating on the fourth line with Matt Cullen and Conor Sheary. But despite all of that, Kunitz had a good feeling going into the game.

Kunitz: "For me, I wasn't one of the top performers leading into anything. But I think one thing you always convince yourself of when you're playing down the lineup is if you ever get your chance and get out there, earn every shift you can. I remember sitting beside Shears and Cully and saying, 'We're feeling it tonight. Let's just keep doing this.'"

And sure enough, Kunitz's gut instinct was right as that line opened the scoring. Sheary and Kunitz executed a give-and-go out of their zone and went up the ice on a 2-on-1 rush. Kunitz gave it back to Sheary, who gave it back to Kunitz - and he re-directed it past Senators goalie Craig Anderson.

Sheary: "I remember it being a 2-on-1 where I was forced onto my backhand by the defenseman, so my best option was to get the puck over to Kuni to give him the chance to score. And obviously he did."

Just 20 seconds later, Mark Stone evened the score when he beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray short-side after receiving a beautiful pass from Erik Karlsson. The teams went into the second intermission tied 1-1.

Defenseman Justin Schultz, who had missed the previous four games for Pittsburgh due to injury, had returned to the lineup for the monumental winner-take-all contest despite not being back to full health. With Kris Letang out, having Schultz back was huge, particularly on the power play. Which is where, despite playing through pain, Schultz was able to put a snap shot off the post and in to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead with just 8:16 minutes remaining in regulation.

Video: OTT@PIT, Gm7: Schultz rings in wrist shot for PPG

Schultz: "It just found a way in. I was able to get enough (on the shot). Not full, but those guys did such a good job of screening him and taking his eyes away that it didn't have to be the hardest shot, it just had to get through."

But again, the "Pesky Sens" responded with 5:19 minutes left in regulation when Ryan Dzingel buried a Karlsson rebound to send the game into overtime. The next 25:09 minutes of play would prove to be absolutely excruciating. The Penguins were outshooting and outchancing the Senators, with their best chance coming in the first overtime when Phil Kessel's shot hit the crossbar and then bounced across the top of the net.

In the second overtime, Sheary took the puck high to low, eventually getting it over to Schultz. Crosby had just entered the offensive zone after changing for Cullen. Schultz gave him the puck down at the goal line. Crosby reversed direction and saw Kunitz open at the top of the circle. He dropped him a pass, Kunitz put it on net, and… game over.

Video: OTT@PIT, Gm7: Kunitz wins series in double overtime

Sheary: "I believe we were having a good offensive-zone shift I remember one of my passes almost getting picked off for a breakaway for Ottawa. It ended up getting through and eventually down to Sid in the corner, where he was able to beat his defender and find Kuni at the top of the circle."

Kunitz: "Shears did a really good job of walking the wall and bringing it to the blue (to Schultz). I think Sid was maybe coming right off the bench. When he drives it deep, everybody gets scared and if you find that soft area, obviously Sid's got great vision and he put it right there. I was just trying to get into a soft spot."

Ian Cole: "When Sid kind of cut back, I kind of came around the top and was about to come downhill and I had my stick cocked and I wanted it. And when he gave it to 'Kuni,' I was like, if he had just taken one more step he could have laid it into me and I could have just walked into a one-timer. But I saw it was going to Kuni instead and was like aw, damn. Then Kuni shot it and I was like, oh, that's got a chance. Because it came off high, right? And I was like oh, that's over the net. Then I was like, oh wait, that's got a chance. Oh wait, it's dipping! Oh wait a second - that went in!"

Kunitz: "The puck fluttered off my stick. I don't know if it touched him or kept going right by. It looked like there was a good screen on the goalie, looked like he fell down. Just found its way into the net. Sometimes you get lucky when you put one on net."

Cole: "One flutter puck from Kuni and it was over. That's the way it is, right? The margin for error in playoff games is so small. Usually it ends up being one or two mistakes and the game is over and you lost. In this case, it was not even really a mistake. A great play by Sid to find Kuni. The puck kind of rolled on him as he shot it and it went in. You try to do everything right to put yourself in a good position to take advantage of a little bit of puck luck, and we certainly did that."

Cullen: "I don't know if I've ever felt better when somebody scored a goal then when Kuni put that floater in (laughs). Man, it was a great goal. It was pretty cool too that it was Sid to Kuni, you've seen that play so many times. Kuni did such a good job of finding that little area to get the shot. Man, from the bench, that was unreal watching that thing go in. it was one of the best feelings I've had in hockey."

Sheary: "After I saw it go in I just sprinted over to celebrate with everyone else. I even think some of the guys on the bench got to the pile before me. That's how excited we all were to win that one."

Cole: "Obviously you all just go bananas and go into the pile and give those guys huge hugs. I will say this - re-watching a couple '16 games and a couple games from '17, Kuni was freaking unbelievable. He was such a good player. He is still, in my mind, one of the more underrated players. Certainly on that team, but in the NHL during his career. Man, he did everything. He was unbelievable."

Crosby: "(Kunitz) was huge. I think he's got that knack for being a big-game player and he does so many little things probably a lot of things go unnoticed. But I don't think those two goals will go unnoticed. Huge one in overtime there to get us moving on."

Kunitz: "We found a way to get up 2-1, they score. Then for it to take that long is obviously a huge special moment in my life, to be able to score an OT winner like that. The last goal I scored in Pittsburgh; it obviously means a ton to me. Always fun revisiting that goal and watching that celebration - it's the greatest feeling in sports when we all celebrate like that."