You probably loved Game 5 if:
- You’re a Penguins fan
- You’re a Steelers fan (because Pittsburgh scored a touchdown)
- You’re not a Senators fan
- You love a shutout
It was basically like watching Game 3 again but with more goals and this time in favor of the Penguins. Another 4 goals in the first period, courtesy of Maatta, Crosby, Rust and Wilson. Cullen scored in the 2nd period and Kessel and Daley both scored in the third. Seven goals. No that isn’t a typo and yes you read it correctly. Seven Pittsburgh goals to zero Ottawa goals.
The Senators looked…well, not great. Guy Boucher has a lot of work to do if he wants to get this series to Game 7, which is still entirely possible. After Pittsburgh lost 5-1 in Game 3 they came back with a vengeance for the following game and took the win. That very thing could happen with Ottawa for Game 6.
Anderson let in more goals in the first period than he did in the first 3 games. After letting in 3 goals in the first period, he was replaced by Mike Condon and then for some reason Anderson was put back in shortly after, only to let in a 4th goal, courtesy of Scott Wilson.
Condon took over and let in another 3 goals but it wasn’t just the goalies who were responsible for the Senators brutal loss. Three of the first 5 Pittsburgh goals were the result of Ottawa puck mismanagement. Turnovers and a lack of neutral zone defense all contributed to the loss.
Pittsburgh took full advantage of the Senators shortcomings. The Pens lost the first few face-offs but put were able to put more pucks to the net, capitalize on turnovers and went 3-for-3 on power plays, which they struggled with throughout the series. Ottawa, however, is 0-for-15 in the series on power plays.
The Senators will need to make a lot of adjustments going into Game 6, starting with the goalie. Anderson played outstanding the first four games and fell apart in the fifth, similar to how Fleury struggled in Game 4. And we all know what happened to him.
Anderson will likely be the starting goaltender for Game 6, assuming practice goes well for him tomorrow. That type of performance was grounds for Sullivan benching Fleury and starting Murray the next two games. Although Fleury wasn’t set to be the starting goalie like Anderson was and was only given the opportunity due to Murray injuring himself in warm-ups.
One thing that is certain is the Senators are going to have to find a way to bounce back if they want to prevent Pittsburgh from advancing to the Stanley Cup. That could be challenging seeing as Karlsson and Brassard both left Game 5 with injuries. Wingels’ dirty hit on Wilson will also be reviewed by the NHL, after he elbowed the Pens winger in the face.
As far as injuries for the Penguins, both Daley and Rust have not only returned to the lineup but each had a goal in tonight’s game. Schultz participated in warm-ups but after coming out the way the Pens did there was no need to put Schultz at further risk. Hornqvist, Ruhwedel and Kuhnackl were all out for Game 5 and it is unsure if any of them will be ready in time for Game 6, which is scheduled to air on Tuesday at 8 PM ET.
