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Penguins blow Senators away before record crowd
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The Penguins stormed back from an early deficit to beat the Ottawa Senators, 6-3, tonight at Consol Energy Center.
The game drew 18,610, the largest hockey crowd at the arena, which opened in August 2010.
The Penguins are 7-0-1 in their past eight home games, 2-0-1 on a homestand that ended with this game. They play their next four on the road.
Sidney Crosby, who returned to the Penguins lineup Monday after missing more than 10 months because of a concussion, had three assists, giving him seven points in three games.
Penguins were 6-0-1 in previous seven home games, play next four on the road after three-game homestand
The Penguins spotted Ottawa a 1-0 lead when Kaspars Daugavins scored a rebound goal on a backhand at 1:19 of the first period after the Senators had an extended shift in the Penguins' end.
Then the tide turned, with the Penguins scoring four times in the first period.
Chris Kunitz tied it, 1-1, 27 seconds after Ottawa's goal. Sidney Crosby got the puck from Deryk Engelland as he crossed the blue line and drove down the right side. Chris Kunitz one-timed Crosby's pass through the slot past Senators goaltender Craig Anderson at 1:46.
The Penguins' Arron Asham and Ottawa's Zenon Konopka then engaged in a long fight off the ensuing faceoff.
Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 3:25. He got a long rebound after taking a slap shot from the right circle and, from near the right corner, threw the puck toward the net. It bounced in off of Anderson. It was Kennedy's ninth goal in 14 career games against the Senators.
Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury got an assist, the ninth of his career, on Kennedy's goal. The other assist on that goal went to Paul Martin, who was playing his 500th NHL game.
Steve Sullivan added a five-on-three power-play goal at 7:11 when his pass from the left circle, aimed for James Neal at the far corner of the net, deflected in off the stick of Ottawa's Chris Phillips, making it 3-1.
Evgeni Malkin made it 4-0 at 9:11, just after a Senators penalty expired. Kris Letang's stick snapped in half as he took a slap shot from the center point. The puck glanced off of Ottawa's Milan Michalek and right to Malkin in the high slot. He whipped the puck past Anderson on a wrist shot. Crosby picked up his third assist.
At that point, Anderson, who gave up the four goals on eight shots, was pulled in favor of Alex Auld.
Pascal Dupuis padded the lead to 5-1 at 3:45 of the second period. A shot by Asham hit the back of Dupuis' legs, leaving the puck dead in the slot. Dupuis pounded of in and swatted it past Auld.
Jared Cowen scored on a one-timer from the blue line through traffic at 15:46 of the second period for Ottawa during a delayed penalty call to make it 5-2.
Jordan Staal scored a four-on-four goal from the inner edge of the right circle to give the Penguins a 6-2 lead at 9:41 of the third period.
Stephane Da Costa weaved down the slot and beat Fleury over his glove to pull the Senators to within 6-3 at 16:29 of the third period.
The Penguins play Saturday night at Montreal.
First Published November 25, 2011 9:37 pm
