The Pittsburgh Penguins were a heavy favorite entering this postseason to play their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs and into the Stanley Cup finals.
Following a grueling 6-game series in the first round of the NHL playoffs against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh looks to be back in top form as the East's top seed disposed of No. 7 Ottawa in game 1 of their semifinal series 4-1.
Looking to take a 2-game lead in the best-of-seven series, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Friday, May 17.
The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m., EDT with coverage available through the NBC Sports Network. An on-line live stream will be available by using this link.
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Pittsburgh was absolutely dominant in the series opener. Led by an explosive offense and a major effort on the defensive end, the Penguins looked like a team fully capable of advancing to the Stanley Cup final.
Sticking with former back-up goalie Tomas Vokoun, head coach Dan Bylsma felt comfortable that the veteran would provide the Penguins with consistency between the pipes, something former starter Marc-Andre Fleury wasn't able to do through stretches during the first round.
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Bylsma was also extremely pleased with the overall effort of the players in front of Vokoun in Game 1.
"We are way more near where we need to be," the Pittsburgh coach said to NHL.com. "We got the puck deep, got on the forecheck, and we were able to get in the offensive zone because of that. Tonight was a much better indication of where we need to play 5-on-5."
Four different players scored for Pittsburgh in Game 1 as Paul Martin, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin all put the puck past Senator net minder Craig Anderson, who struggled mightily with the constant rush of pressure brought on by the talented Penguins.
Struggling from the drop of the puck to the final horn, Ottawa head coach Paul MacLean knows his team needs to change the way they approach the series and dial up the execution.
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"The difference of the game is obviously the execution of their power play," Maclean said to the Anchorage Daily News after watching his team get beat up and down the ice in Game 1. "You can tell he's feeling good, and I think it's definitely a good situation to have as a team when you have two confident goaltenders like we have."
Not able to maintain a strong effort in the power play department didn't help the Senators in other areas of the game, as Pittsburgh appeared significantly quicker and stronger while proving to be more aware of game situations.
As they hope to turn things around to avoiding dropping into an 0-2 hole, be sure to catch the Ottawa Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The game is set to begin on Friday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m., EDT with television coverage available through the NBC Sports Network. An online live stream will also be available by following this link.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS From Pittsburhg Dominant Victory in Game 1:
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