Penguins return to Stanley Cup final with Game 7 win over Senators

The pain was evident by the looks on their faces in a quiet dressing room.

National Hockey League deputy commissioner Bill Daly (left) presents the Prince of Wales trophy to Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz (14) and center Sidney Crosby (87) and center Evgeni Malkin (71) as champions of the Eastern Conference after the Pens defeated the Ottawa Senators in double overtime of game seven of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the PPG PAINTS Arena.

The Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Monday in game one of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals at the PPG Paints Arena.

“I just tried to hold the team in there as long as possible”, Murray said. “I don’t know how much he got on it, but he put it in the right spot”. They came into the postseason with the least amount of points but rolled right through the Western Conference on their way to the Cup Final – their fans screaming, chanting and singing in unison each step of the way. I’m a Hawks fan and I watched every minute of every game. You really had to wonder if it was ever going to end as both goalies came up big. The Penguins did need double overtime in Game 7 to best the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference finals. Just found its way into the net.

Some of the key cogs that helped Pittsburgh get to this point – rookie forward Jake Guentzel, 37-year-old playoff newcomer Ron Hainsey and career grinder Scott Wilson – weren’t even around last spring.

They cheered and hugged as the Senators’ Mark Stone scored in the second period, tying the game. They beat a Columbus team that was more interested in beating them up than winning a series. Ottawa responded with a goal from Ryan Dzingel with 5:19 left in regulation. For most of the first 30 minutes, loose pucks hopped over sticks to spoil some scoring opportunities while Anderson and Murray gobbled up the rest. Always, they have found a way to persevere.

“If you look at the amount of guys who have played on this roster throughout the course of the year, it’s a lot of guys”, Crosby said.

“I think it’s a little bit of a motivator”. Trevor Daley has been playing some of his best hockey of the year since returning from injury. Symbolically, the game with special status ended with a lovely victory of one of the teams in the second overtime. They led 1-0 on Kunitz’ first goal only to have the Senators tie it 20 seconds later. They both have seven goals. Not the breaks, with Penguins dealing with more injuries than just about anyone. Carl Hagelin’s foot should have some extra time to get better due to the layoff. Crosby was pinned to the ice in the middle of the play as the Senators got away with liberties that certainly don’t support the theory that suggest Crosby gets special treatment as the best player in the game. Pittsburgh was ahead on the shot clock 6-5. Nashville are the type of team that can frustrate an opponent quickly, especially at home. With minimal ice time this postseason, he started alongside fourth-line center Matt Cullen, but he and Sheary made that line clearly the most risky, even as a hard-working Crosby shined as the most unsafe single skater. “We did everything in our power and it could have gone either way”. Kevin Fiala, Ryan Johansen, those are guys we’d like to have in the lineup but they’re not available. They finished in second place in the Metropolitan Division and second overall among playoff teams.

“We’re very disappointed in the loss and getting so close and it’s going to be an experience we’re going to have to learn from”. We don’t want to worry too much about whether it’s a repeat or going back-to-back. A team on a surprise run (Ottawa Senators) facing off with the defending champs (Pittsburgh Penguins).

“It’s just one of those games when the stakes are this high, anything can happen, so it’s relief”, Crosby said. Considering the kind of player he was in Dallas and the lasting impact he had on the franchise, it will be kind of hard not to cheer for ole Fidds.