#7 Seed, Eastern Conference 

4-1 Playoff record

vs

#1 Seed, Eastern Conference

4-2 Playoff record

7:30 PM

TV:  CBC, RDS   Radio: TEAM1200

HEAD TO HEAD:

The Penguins had the upper hand on the Senators, winning all three games between the clubs. The Penguins won the first one in a shootout, with all 3 shooters scoring on Craig Anderson for the 2-1 Pens win.  The second matchup was the infamous Feb 13th game that saw Erik Karlsson‘s season supposedly ended by Matt Cooke‘s skate, with the result on the scoreboard favoring the Pens 4-2. In the third game, an undermanned Penguins team without a trio of their stars came to Ottawa and still managed to skate away with a 3-1 win, a loss that had some Ottawa fans gripping their postseason dreams a little tighter.

Apr 22, 2013; Ottawa, ON, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) and centre Tyler Kennedy (48) check for the rebound following a shot on Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) in the second period at Scotiabank Place. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

LAST GAMES:

Obviously heading into the first game of the second round, both teams won their last games.  Ottawa won their third straight game with a nifty 6-1 win over Montreal, while the Penguins were glad to be rid of the never-say-die Islanders with a 4-3 overtime win on Saturday night.

KEY PLAYERS:

Kyle Turris, OTT: This matchup will be vastly different than the one he faced against Montreal.  Whatever centre he lines up against as long as he is Ottawa’s top pivot in this series, will be a tougher matchup than he faced against the Habs.  With all due respect to David Desharnais, Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk, they are no Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin or Brandon Sutter.  How Turris can step his game up to lock horns with his counterpart will go a long way to determining how the Senators do, and also how urgently the Senators need Jason Spezza back (no pun intended).

Tomas Vokoun, PIT: Still unconfirmed as the Penguins starting goalie, but given the struggles of Marc-Andre Fleury, it would shock me to see anyone but Vokoun listed as the goalie come game time.  Vokoun doesn’t need to be great, but just needs to provide solid goaltending that they didn’t get from Fleury in the first 4 games of round 1, and that nearly cost them.

TOP 3 STORIES OF THE GAME:

1.  The Karlsson Factor:  Intentional or not, it was the Penguins who knocked Karlsson out of action and probably cost him the chance to defend his Norris Trophy.  While he isn’t likely to exact physical revenge, Karlsson does his best talking with the puck, and his resolve might be to put it where the red light shines.

2. The Cooke Factor:  I know the Senators and their fans might want some revenge, but this is neither the time nor the place.  There should be no Matt Cooke in this series as far as the Senators are concerned, but just a Player #24.

3.  Goaltending Questions:  In the opening round, the Senators were able to jump on a struggling Carey Price and make his life miserable and create questions.  There are already questions in Pittsburgh, and getting on Vokoun early might create a big decision for Dan Bylsma as he looks down the bench at Fleury, and sees swiss cheese.  And if by some act of god Fleury gets the start, then get on him early and  chase him again.

PARTING SHOT

The Senators will be massive underdogs, but they can take a page out of the Islanders’ playbook and just keep hanging around and waiting for Pittsburgh mistakes. They may be talented, but they can also turn the puck over, and how Ottawa’s transition game plays out will determine if they win or lose this game, and the series.

May 7, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Matt Cooke (24) and New York Islanders center Keith Aucoin (10) battle for the puck during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Well, the Senators better put that to rest first thing.  I would suggest a moratorium on medial questions involving Cooke and any look for revenge or payback, at least during the next two weeks.  Just like the Canadiens got wrapped up in the Lars Eller saga and it took their minds off the task at hand, the Senators will need all of their focus on the action on the ice and containing the Penguins’ explosive offense if they want to have a chance to knock off the #1 seed.

The Penguins are beatable, but it is going to take a focused, intense effort to do so.  The Senators have shown the ability to battle and not get counted out.  Cooke will no doubt be out there to stir some up, but Ottawa cannot let him get into their heads at any point.

If they still feel the need to exact some measure of revenge, I am sure Cooke will still be in the league next year, much to the chagrin of many.

After all, if the victim of the accident/incident can brush it aside, who can’t?

Wonder how many Q I’m gonna get now about my injury. Lol #whocares #oldnews #playtowin

— Erik Karlsson (@ErikKarlsson65) May 12, 2013