Crosby and Pens down Sens in shootout

Mar 7, 2007, 5:25 GMT

Ottawa, ON - Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal in a shootout for the third time in six days and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Ottawa Senators, 5-4, at Scotiabank Place.

Jordan Staal, Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone scored in a 2:48 span midway through the third period to erase a 4-1 deficit for Pittsburgh, which won its second straight game and will host New Jersey on Thursday in a key Atlantic Division contest. The Devils currently sit atop the Atlantic and lead the Pens by seven points.

Colby Armstrong also scored and Pittsburgh starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after he allowed three goals on seven shots in the first period. Jocelyn Thibault made 15 saves in relief.

Mike Fisher, Christoph Schubert, Chris Kelly and Dany Heatley scored for the Senators, who are winless in their last three games (0-1-2) after they had won eight of nine to close out the month of February. Ray Emery allowed only one goal through the first two periods but fell apart in the third and finished with 23 saves in the loss.

After Pittsburgh rallied from a three-goal deficit in the third period, a defensive overtime session led to the ensuing shootout. In the first round, Heatley missed and Eric Christensen scored. Neither side found the back of the net following the next pair of shooters but Dean McAmmond kept Ottawa alive with a goal. However, Crosby then ended it with a high backhander.

'I'm trying to help out wherever I can,' said Crosby, who failed to record a point in regulation in each of the three recent games in which he has notched the game-winner. 'It's been tough (for me) 5-on-5, and (I'm also) struggling on the power play a bit. For me, it's one of those times right now but I'll try to do whatever I can to help.'

With the win, the Pens snapped an eight-game winless streak against Ottawa dating back to November, 2003.

Trailing 4-1 at the start of the third period, the Penguins scored three goals in under three minutes midway through the stanza and Malone's marker at 12:10 knotted the contest.

Pittsburgh came back to life with Staal's NHL-leading seventh short-handed goal of the season at the 9:22 mark. With Evgeni Malkin in the penalty box for charging, Staal stole the puck from Daniel Alfredsson in the neutral zone, won a race for the puck through the slot and beat Emery from a sharp angle inside the left circle.

'When Staal scored that goal, we knew we had a chance,' Crosby said. 'We had maybe 11 or 12 minutes left when he scored, so that goal really led the way to help put ourselves in a better position.'

Under two minutes later, Roberts' 15th goal made it 4-3. Christensen carried the puck down the right-wing side and slid a backhand pass into the middle for an easy one-timer by Roberts that lit the lamp at 11:02.

The momentum continued when Malone scored his 14th goal of the season 68 seconds later. Emery again showed his vulnerability, as Malone -- like Staal minutes earlier -- slid the puck into the net from a sharp angle. Staal passed from the slot to Malone, who corralled the disc low inside the left circle and beat Emery to the near side with a wrist shot.

'It's a confidence thing,' said Alfredsson about failing to hold a lead. 'We were going pretty good, but they made the most of their chances. In five shots they scored three goals and got right back in the game. We just have to keep working hard.'

Pittsburgh opened the scoring on Armstrong's ninth goal at 5:56 of the first period.

The Pens skated with a 5-on-4 advantage for two minutes after Anton Volchenkov was whistled for hooking but failed to cash in. However, the visitors used the power-play momentum to keep the puck in their offensive zone and tallied less than thirty seconds after Volchenkov exited the penalty box. Armstrong held l behind the net and, after he failed to locate an open teammate, skated out along the goal line to the right side and banked the puck off Emery's skate and into the back of the cage.

Midway through the first, the Senators scored twice in under two minutes to grab a 2-1 lead.

First, on the power play, Peter Schaefer held control inside the right circle and attempted a cross-ice pass that was intended for weak-side cutter Wade Redden. The puck, though, hit traffic in front and caromed directly to Fisher, whose snap shot from the top of the crease beat Fleury at the 9:27 mark.

Soon after, the Sens moved ahead on Schubert's sixth goal. Oleg Saprykin passed from along the lower left half-wall into the slot for a shot by McAmmond. The save was made, but the rebound was swiped home by Schubert with 8:38 remaining.

Fleury continued to struggle and allowed a soft short-handed goal late in the opening stanza that saw Ottawa gain a two-goal advantage.

With Redden in the penalty box for interference, the Penguins failed to create scoring chances with the extra skater and the puck was picked up by Alfredsson. The captain crossed the blue line down the left-wing side before he slid a backhanded pass into the high slot for Kelly, whose one-timer should have been saved by Fleury but instead hit the goaltender and trickled behind him and over the goal line at the 18:38 mark.

Heatley's power-play goal 4:32 into the second period made it 4-1.

Game Notes

Crosby also beat the New York Rangers on March 1 and the Philadelphia Flyers this past Sunday with game-winning shootout goals...Heatley extended his point streak to 12 games...The Sens had won six straight homes games prior to this one...Ottawa finished 2-for-9 on the power play and held Pittsburgh scoreless on its four chances with the extra skater...Attendance was 20,074.

© 2007 The Sports Network

Game Notes

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