Late Saturday afternoon, we saw the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins match up at PPG Paints Arena, which could be a crucial matchup at the end of the season, considering these teams are only separated by three points in the standings.
Game Recap
In the first period, the Senators jumped all over the Penguins, with Tyler Kleven opening the scoring three minutes into the game. Then Shane Pinto scored on the powerplay five minutes into the game to take an early 2-0 lead. The following 14 minutes of the first period would be pretty quiet until Pinto scored his second goal of the game, this time while on the penalty kill to extend the Senators’ lead to three, where the score would sit going into the first intermission.
Shane Pinto
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 11, 2025
First member of the Senators to score a PP & short-handed goal in a period since Milan Michalek on March 6, 2012#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/dUfojoMSkY
Again, the Senators wasted no time extending their lead in the second period. Drake Batherson scored 41 seconds into the second frame for the Senators’ second powerplay goal. The Senators would continue to dominate. Tim Stutzle tallied the Senators’ fifth goal of the game seven minutes into the second period.
At this point, the Penguins’ head coach, Mike Sullivan, decided to change his goaltender after Alex Nedeljkovic allowed 2.82 goals above expected on the 12 shots he faced. From there, Tristan Jarry shut the Senators out the rest of the way. However, he only had to make five saves as the Senators played conservatively, only registering three shots on goal in the third period while cruising to a 5-0 victory where Leevi Merilainen would record a 30-save shutout.
The Senators scored their five goals on just 22 shots. This was a low-event and physical hockey game, with 16 penalties in the first 40 minutes of play. While not the turning point, the Senators’ powerplay made a big difference in the game, scoring on two of their four opportunities. In contrast, the Penguins’ powerplay finished minus-1 on the night, giving up a short-handed goal and getting shut out on their six powerplay attempts.
This win moves the Senators one point back of the Penguins, who are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild card playoff spot. These two teams play each other once more this season in what could be a pivotal matchup for a playoff berth if these two teams can find some consistency in the back half of the season.
