The third and final meeting of the season between the Pittsburgh Penguins (30-34-11) and Ottawa Senators (39-28-6) gave fans a ton of entertainment. The Penguins snapped their three-game losing skid thanks to Sidney Crosby’s overtime winner on the power play just days after reaching the point-per-game mark for the 20th time in his career.
Related: Sidney Crosby Passes Wayne Gretzky for Most Point-Per-Game Seasons
Tristan Jarry had a much-needed bounce-back game. He was sensational, making 31 saves for his first shutout of the season. Despite the loss, Anton Forsberg was stellar as well, making 34 saves in just his fourth start since Feb. 6.
Game Recap
The first period was a tale of two sides of the Penguins. They came out flying to begin the game, as they had four of the game’s first five shots on net. The Senators found their footing and took over the period. They dominated the shots over the next 17 minutes, holding a 15-6 lead in that span. It was the goalies that were the story of the opening frame, as Jarry and Forsberg put up stellar performances to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
Much like the first period, the second period was a story of defense and goaltending. With a lower shot total in the second – with the Senators edging the Penguins by an 11-9 total – neither team could find the game’s first goal.
The third period saw the Penguins have multiple good chances to open the scoring. Forsberg did not let it happen, coming up with some key saves to keep the game scoreless. With less than two minutes to go, Shane Pinto had the game on his stick with a breakaway. He beat Jarry to the glove, but the post came up big as the puck stayed out of the net. After 60 minutes of hard-fought hockey, both teams earned a point in the standings, with the game going to overtime.
After 61:44 of scoreless hockey, Crosby called it a game with a power-play goal. A pass from Erik Karlsson was right in Crosby’s wheelhouse, allowing him to rifle home a one-timer.
The Senators return home to play their fourth game in six days when they welcome the Buffalo Sabres to Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday night (April 1). The Penguins will have three days off before taking on the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night (April 3) to begin a three-game road trip.
