PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins have advanced to the Eastern Conference final.

Marian Hossa scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins over New York 3-2 on Sunday, eliminating the Rangers in Game 5 of their second-round series.

Hossa scored at 7:10 of overtime and on the power play in the second period, with Sidney Crosby assisting on both goals.

Evgeni Malkin scored the other Pittsburgh goal with a backhanded shot midway through the second.

Lauri Korpikoski and Nigel Dawes both scored in the third period for New York to send the game to overtime.

The Penguins will meet Philadelphia in the next round.

 The Canadian Press 

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin deflected Sidney Crosby’s one-timer from the right point on a Pittsburgh power play with 1:41 remaining to finish a frantic comeback, and the Penguins rallied from a three-goal deficit against the New York Rangers for a 5-4 victory in their second-round playoff series opener Friday night.

Petr Sykora and Marian Hossa scored 20 seconds apart early in the third period, and the Penguins shook off Scott Gomez’s tying goal midway through the period for one of best comeback victories in their playoff history.

The Rangers lost for the first time in four road games in these playoffs, an unexpected ending after they seized the momentum and, it seemed, control of the game with a 3-0 lead that looked very safe with star Henrik Lundqvist in net.

GAME 1: April 25 @ Pittsburgh
7:00 p.m. ET NBC, CBC

GAME 2: April 27 @ Pittsburgh
2:00 p.m. ET NBC, CBC

GAME 3: April 29 @ N.Y. Rangers
7:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, CBC

GAME 4: May 1 @ N.Y. Rangers
7:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, CBC

*GAME 5: May 4 @ Pittsburgh
2:00 p.m. ET NBC, CBC

*GAME 6: May 5 @ N.Y. Rangers
7:00 p.m. ET VERSUS, CBC

*GAME 7: May 7 @ Pittsburgh
TBD CBC

*if necessary

OTTAWA - Sidney Crosby sat at the dais, meaty forearms folded in front of him, and tried his best to look serious. A black baseball cap was pulled low over his brow, obscuring a face that had long been used to sell the game, but never to celebrate a playoff series win.

Last night was his first, as he and his fiery band of Pittsburgh Penguins swept a team that had steamrolled them 12 months earlier. Crosby assisted on the opening goal and sealed the outcome with one of his own in a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in their Eastern Conference quarter-final.

It was the first taste of success in the National Hockey League playoffs for Crosby, as it was for many on a team that only averages 28.1 years of age. They will now have time to rest, and to wait.

“It feels great,” Crosby said. “Obviously, it was a different situation last year, and it definitely hurt. We went through some learning experiences there, but responded well here in the first round … we played hard the last four games, and earned it.” Full Story…

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal, adding an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins scored three times in the third period en route to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series from Scotiabank Place.

Marian Hossa posted a goal and two helpers while Maxime Talbot and Jordan Staal also tallied for the Penguins, who hold a dominating 3-0 series lead and will look to wrap up the series in Game 4 set for Wednesday in Ottawa.

Marc-Andre Fleury notched the victory with a 33-save effort.

“The third game of a series is always one of the most important,” noted Fleury. “You can be up three games to none, or it can be two to one and be really close. So, obviously, this is a huge win for us.”

Nick Foligno scored for the Senators, who fell despite welcoming back captain Daniel Alfredsson after he missed the first two games of the series with a knee injury.

“I felt okay tonight. I’m not 100 percent, but it’s the playoffs,” Alfredsson said. “I thought I could help the team get a win here tonight to get back in the series.”

Martin Gerber allowed all four goals on 38 shots. Full Story…

Pierre LeBrun
THE CANADIAN PRESS

PITTSBURGH–Even a 49-save effort from Martin Gerber wasn’t good enough for the Ottawa Senators. Perhaps nothing will be.

Ryan Malone’s power-play goal with 1:02 left in the third period lifted the Pittsburgh Penguins to a thrilling 5-3 win over the Senators and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference quarter-final series.

Malone’s wrap-around goal came after veteran Martin Lapointe took a high-sticking penalty at the worst possible time. Malone then added an empty-netter with 6.5 seconds left as a sellout crowd of 17,132 at Mellon Arena rocked in jubilation.
Full Story … 

PITTSBURGH — Two bomb-sniffing dogs fruitlessly swept ice level at the Mellon Arena prior to Game 1 of the opening round playoff series between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Had they stuck around to witness the Senators power play, they would have had something to bark about.

The Penguins built a quick 2-0 lead Wednesday night, then added two late goals after Ottawa had squandered a pair critical 5-on-3 advantages. The Sens authored just two mid-grade shots and not a decent scoring opportunity in a combined 109 seconds of 5-on-3 time around the second intermission, and Pittsburgh walked off with a 4-0 win and a 1-0 series lead.

“We failed to capitalize. That’s why we lose the game,” said Ottawa’s Jason Spezza. “Five on three has got to be automatic. They kill you if you don’t score on them.”

Full Story… 

PENGUINS VS. SENATORS

GAME 1: April 9 @ Pittsburgh
7 p.m. ET, VERSUS, CBC, RDS

GAME 2: April 11 @ Pittsburgh
7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS

GAME 3: April 14 @ Ottawa
7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS

GAME 4: April 16 @ Ottawa
7 p.m. ET, CBC, RDS

*GAME 5: April 19 @ Pittsburgh
TBD, VERSUS, CBC, RDS

*GAME 6: April 20 @ Ottawa
TBD, CBC, RDS

*GAME 7: April 22 @ Pittsburgh
TBD, CBC, RDS
* if necessary

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penguins center Sidney Crosby was scratched from Sunday’s season finale against the Flyers with Pittsburgh playing for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.Coach Michel Terrien decided to give Crosby the game off, likely as a precautionary measure after their captain missed 28 games with a sprained right ankle. Crosby finished the season with 24 goals and 72 points in 53 games.The Atlantic Division champion Penguins could earn the top spot in the East with a win over the Flyers. The Flyers would be the No. 6 seed with a win.

Sidney Crosby and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ No. 1 power-play unit are ready for a potential first-round Stanley Cup playoff matchup against rival Philadelphia.

Crosby scored two of his team’s four goals with the man advantage in a 4-2 doubling of the visiting Flyers Wednesday night as the Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1998.

Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin also scored power-play goals for Pittsburgh, which regained sole possession of first place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference with a 47-26-8 record.

The Penguins also prevented eighth-place Philadelphia from leap-frogging the Boston Bruins in the battle for playoff positioning in the conference.

The Bruins picked up a huge point Wednesday in New Jersey, falling 2-1 to the Devils in a shootout. Boston remains in seventh with 92 points, followed by the Flyers with 91 and No. 9 Washington with 90. All three teams have two games left.  Full Story…