May 25 (The Sports Xchange) - Chris Kunitz scored his second goal of the game at 5:09 in double overtime to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game Seven of their Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday.
May 25 (The Sports Xchange) - Chris Kunitz scored his second goal of the game at 5:09 in double overtime to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals with a thrilling 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game Seven of their Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday.
The Penguins, in the NHL title series for the fourth time in 10 years, will begin the defence of their 2016 crown with a home game on Monday when the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators arrive for Game One of the best-of-seven set.
Pittsburgh will be trying to become the first repeat title winners since the Detroit claimed back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1997-98, while Ottawa fell short of making the NHL finale for the first time since 2007.
Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray, playing on his 23rd birthday, stopped 27-of-29 Senators shots as Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson, who stopped 45-of-46 shots in Game Six, made 39 saves on Thursday.
The game was nearly halfway through regulation before the Penguins scored the first goal off a two-on-one against Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Kunitz one-timed a pass from Conor Sheary in tight to make it 1-0 at 9:55 of the second period as the winger scored a first goal in his last 22 playoff games.
The lead was short-lived, however as just 20 seconds later, Mark Stone tied it for the Senators, taking a short pass from Karlsson and, from the lower part of the right circle, lifting the puck over Murray's glove.
Justin Schultz then scored on a blast from the center point at 11:44 of the third on Pittsburgh's first power-play of the game to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
At 14:41 of the third, Ryan Dzingel lifted the Senators into a 2-2 tie when he scored on a rebound of a Karlsson shot.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}