Penguins vs. Senators Final Score: Pittsburgh Eliminates Ottawa; Advances to Eastern Conference Finals
By Josh Hill
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a heck of a time getting past the New York Islanders in the first round of the playoffs which is why their destruction of the Ottawa Senators in the conference semifinals is so upsetting. The Sens took it to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round but seemingly rolled belly up utterly fast against a Penguins team many thought they could go toe-to-toe with.
What should have been a fight to the death from Ottawa turned into a 6-2 blowout clincher for the Pens.
Ottawa simply wasn’t up to the task and despite head coach Paul MacLean giving a wide-eyed promise that the Sens were coming to play in Pittsburgh, their game was still back in Ottawa where those statements were made.
Pittsburgh has now secured a trip to the Conference Finals and a showdown with either the New York Rangers or Boston Bruins, both of whom are very beatable teams. The series against Ottawa came down to netminding, as expected, and it seems that Tomas Vokoun is going to be PIttsburgh’s ticket to a title.
Vokoun was once again brilliant between the pipes for the Pens and made up for the three goal game he had back in Ottawa a few days ago. Vokoun isn’t the lifeline of the Pens, as their offense is quickly taking the burden off of him and carrying it quite well. The re-arrival of Sidney Crosby has boosted the offense and allowed guys like James Neal, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz to shine in big spots all series long.
With the team now firing on all cylinders, the Penguins are once again the best team in the Eastern Conference and may head to the Stanley Cup unchallenged. The Bruins pose a threat with their toughness and netminder Tukka Rask shouldn’t be slept on and the same goes for New York.
But everyone thought the healthy Senators would give the Penguins more of a fight and what we got instead was a another stone for the Penguins to sharpen their skates, their skill and their winning will on. They’ve gone from a very good team to a very dangerous team and not a whole lot stands in their way.