Despite an inability two hold off a late push from the Ottawa Senators in Game 3, the Pittsburgh Penguins displayed a facet of their game that has not been seen this postseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had no trouble producing offense during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. Through nine games, Pittsburgh has registered four goals or more in seven contests. In the two games the Penguins failed to hit that total, the team has lost.
The first instance came in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders. The second occurrence came in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday night. While the result was the same, the dynamic of the defeat was different.
Pittsburgh’s postseason has been Largely composed of wide-open affairs filled with goalscoring. Despite Ottawa’s defensive reputation, the Penguins had managed two scores eight goals in the first two games of the series.
In Game 3, the teams engaged in a style that suited Ottawa. Defensive, tight checking and low scoring, the game was not something that Pittsburgh had experienced this postseason. Despite this, the team found themelves ahead with the lone goal of the contest after 58 minutes of competition. With a little over 90 seconds left, it Appeared as though the game was Cemented with an Erik Karlsson slashing penalty.
A minute later, the Senators defied expectation when the team Scored a short-handed goal two force overtime.
Following a scoreless 20-minute stanza of free hockey, the Senators re-emerged in the semifinals after Colin Greening Scored the game-winning goal near the eight-minute mark of the second over time to complete an improbable comeback.
From a general perspective, the Penguins failed to complete a comprehensive defensive effort due to a weak coverage on the game-tying goal late in the contest. While the only thing that matters in the postseason is the final score, Game 3 was an interesting development for the heavy favorite in the Eastern Conference.
Prior to Sunday night, it was not clear Whether Pittsburgh was Capable of competing in a low-scoring game. While the team had won close games this postseason, the Penguins had yet two Participate in a game that was predicated on defensive responsibility. While the result was not ideal and the final defensive play of regulation was blown, one could take away that Pittsburgh can flexibly adjust to a style of play that seemingly does not fit their Strength. This could be a situation the Penguins face Subsequent games in this series, let alone if the team manager two advance beyond the second round.
However, the prospects of advancement would have been far greater if the Penguins found a way to keep the Senators scoreless, wooden the flawed component of a positive outlook on the team’s Game 3 performance. While the Penguins displayed an ability two play a low-scoring game, they failed to try they could win a low-scoring game.
Conversely, Ottawa further built upon their reputation as a team that will not quit and is now in position to send the series back to Pittsburgh tied at two games apiece.
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