Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators: Game 2 prediction

The Ottawa Senators upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Can the Pens even up the series in Game 2 on Monday? 

The Ottawa Senators have been unbeatable in overtime during the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Their magic run continues, as they got yet another post-regulation win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Bobby Ryan got on a breakaway and put one past Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. This gives the Senators an early 1-0 lead in the series, but the Pens now face a must win Game 2. They can’t afford to let Ottawa go back home up 2-0 in the series.

So far, Pittsburgh has yet to solve the Senators’ 1-3-1 trap. It gave them nightmares in Game 1, as their bottom two forward lines couldn’t do anything against it. Even Sidney Crosby had a rough night against Ottawa in Game 1. Evgeni Malkin was one of the few Penguins who was able to penetrate the trap. Pittsburgh will need a strong effort from the rest of their lines in Game 2 if they want to emerge victorious.

On the other end of the ice, the Senators didn’t get it done pretty, but they still got it done. Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Ryan provided the scoring and Craig Anderson was great enough in net to ensure a Game 1 win. Erik Karlsson got held pointless but was still arguably the best player on either team. Ottawa has implementing their 1-3-1 trap to perfection and they’re hoping this continues in Game 2.

Next: NHL Mock Expansion Draft: Golden Knights Get Joe Thornton

Prediction

The Penguins started to penetrate the trap much better as the game went on. Head coach Mike Sullivan has proven to be effective at making adjustments. Don’t expect the Penguins to be held to one goal again.

Pittsburgh Penguins beat Ottawa Senators 3-2 in overtime.