Senators goalie Craig Anderson finally cracked against the Penguins in Game 4. (Jana Chytilova/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Ottawa Senators finally proved they knew how to take a lead. They just didn’t know how to hold the lead.

That might sound like an old Seinfeld bit, but no one in Ottawa was laughing.

After Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris staked the Sens to a 2-1 edge during an entertaining first period, the Pittsburgh Penguins roared back with six unanswered goals on the way to a 7-3 win and commanding 3-1 series lead.

Here are some observations from the pivotal Game 4:

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The Penguins hope Jussi Jokinen juices a power play that may have cost them Game 3. (Jana Chytilova/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Neither the Pittsburgh Penguins nor the Ottawa Senators were happy with the sputtering offenses that produced just one goal apiece in regulation in Game 3. So it’s no surprise that both Dan Bylsma and Paul MacLean are looking to add a little more punch to their rosters for tonight’s crucial Game 4 at Scotiabank Place.

In for Pittsburgh is Jussi Jokinen. For Ottawa, it’s Mark Stone.

Jokinen will see his first action in the series after sitting out the first three games, likely replacing Tanner Glass. He could skate on the fourth line tonight, with spot duty elsewhere to help out on face-offs, and should see time on Pittsburgh’s second power play unit. Don’t be surprised if he makes a big impact.

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Colin Greening scored the winning goal in double overtime for the Senators (Jana Chytilova/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Ottawa Senators have it all wrong.

They call themselves “The Pesky Sens,” swiping a catchphrase from the Dallas Stars and using it as a hashtag on Twitter. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so misleading.

The Senators aren’t pesky. They’re resolute, resilient. They proved it again tonight, just when everyone was ready to write them off, piecing together their biggest win of the postseason by beating Pittsburgh 2-1 in double overtime in Game 3 to cut the Pens’ series lead to 2-1.

We’ve all made that mistake before. This is the same team that seemed destined for the draft lottery after losing Jason Spezza, then Craig Anderson, then Erik Karlsson in rapid succession. But the Senators proved everyone wrong, not just earning a playoff berth, but knocking off the second-seed Montreal Canadiens with ease.

So maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised to see them send what looked like a sure loss into overtime with a shorthanded beauty in the final minute off the stick of captain Daniel Alfredsson.

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Sidney Crosby scored a hat trick in 21 minutes against the Sens on Friday night. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

The Ottawa Senators couldn’t beat the Pittsburgh Penguins even when they managed to keep Sidney Crosby off the score sheet in Game 1. So you can imagine how well things went when Sid went off for a hat trick in Game 2.

Crosby’s three-goal game, his first in more than two years, paced Pitsburgh to a 4-3 win over the Senators Friday night. The Pens now own a 2-0 lead with the series heading back to Ottawa for Game 3 on Sunday.

This was the Kid at his best. Crosby’s first goal came on a quick burst up the wall that left Erik Karlsson in his tracks before he wristed one by Craig Anderson just 3:16 in. His second came on a vicious snapper that beat a baffled Anderson to the short side 13 minutes later. He completed the trick 1:15 into the second, timing his release to take advantage of a moving screen out front before blasting one over the keeper’s shoulder from the top of the circle.

That was it for Anderson, who was pulled for the first time this season. And really, that was it for the Senators as well. Sure, some sloppy play from goaltender Tomas Vokoun kept them in the game, but Crosby’s star turn was too much for Ottawa to overcome.

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If you really think about it, there is only one sure thing in this year’s NHL awards field. (Minas Panagiotakis/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Think about the levers that Washington Capitals coach Adam Oates had to pull to convince struggling superstar Alex Ovechkin to play the game his way, or how Mike Babcock guided the Detroit Red Wings into the post-Nick Lidstrom era with a rookie-laden lineup. That is a pair of remarkable coaching efforts right there, yet neither was good enough to make the cut for the Jack Adams Award, which is given to the coach who has contributed most to his team’s success. That tells you all you need to know about the quality of this year’s field.

The NHL announced this morning that Bruce Boudreau of the Anaheim Ducks, Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators, and Joel Quenneville of the Chicago Blackhawks are the finalists for the Adams, as selected by the members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. It’s pretty easy to craft an argument in support of any one of them.

MORE NOMINEES: Hart | Norris | Vezina | Calder | Lindsay | Masterton | Selke | Byng

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Pittsburgh’s Pascal Dupuis took over the postseason goals lead with a shorthanded tally against Ottawa. (Getty Images)

By Sarah Kwak

The Penguins scored in every possible way on Tuesday night, showing once again their offensive depth and flexibility as they handed the Ottawa Senators a 4-1 loss in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Pittsburgh’s special teams shined, contributing two power play goals and a shorty, but despite the big win, the game was a perfect display of the Penguins’ strengths and weaknesses. This team has, without question, the conference’s best lineup from top to … well, not quite bottom.

After starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury’s meltdown in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Islanders, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma turned to backup Tomas Vokoun, a 36-year-old veteran who hadn’t played a postseason game since 2007. Vokoun went on to seal the series with two wins and Bylsma stuck with him for the opener of Round 2. Though he made 35 saves in a solid effort, Vokoun did not erase the sinking feeling that if the Penguins are to lift the Stanley Cup in June, it will be despite their goaltending and not because of it.

Other thoughts from Game 1:

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Goalie Craig Anderson can extend the series by getting inside the heads of the Penguins’ top scorers. (Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Snapshot

On paper, the Pittsburgh Penguins appear to be coming into their second-round series against the Ottawa Senators as heavy favorites. The Pens swept the teams’ three regular-season meetings on the way to the Eastern Conference crown and feature a star-studded lineup that was deepened by GM Ray Shero at the deadline. But Pittsburgh struggled to get past the gritty New York Islanders in the first round, victimized by lapses in discipline, lack of focus and sketchy goaltending. Was that the product of playing against an inferior opponent, or evidence that this is a team ripe for an upset? The Senators, meanwhile, arrive on a high after throttling the second-seeded Canadiens in five games. Netminder Craig Anderson gives Ottawa a chance to win every night, and the special teams are feeling the flow. And while no one other than Sens owner Eugene Melnyk will admit it, there might just be a little residual bad blood in the wake of the Erik Karlsson-Matt Cooke incident earlier this season. This sets up as a nasty, fast-paced series.

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Craig Anderson’s excellent play in goal was a big reason for the Senators’ success. (Francois Lacasse/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Peter Budaj, Michael Blunden, Jeff Halpern and Gabriel Dumont weren’t the players expected to lead the Montreal Canadiens to playoff glory.

So really, who can be surprised they didn’t?

Missing their starting goalie, their captain, one of their top forwards and a heart-and-soul winger, the half-staffed Canadiens were no match for the Ottawa Senators Thursday night. They bowed meekly, 6-1, in the decisive Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

The Sens now await the results of the other quarter-final series, but likely will face the Pittsburgh Penguins, who took a 3-2 series lead after shutting out the New York Islanders tonight.

Some thoughts and observations on this elimination game:

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Kyle Turris (left) celebrated after scoring the winning goal for Ottawa in overtime. (Jay Kopinski/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

It was in the bag. The Montreal Canadiens, still smarting from their Game 3 humiliation, built up a 2-0 lead on the Ottawa Senators. They played with urgency and passion, never giving the home team a chance to build any momentum from Sunday night’s thumping. Through 40 minutes, Montreal looked like a team ready to regain control of this series.

And then it all fell apart.

Mika Zibanejad cut the lead to one when the NHL war room ruled he hadn’t kicked the puck behind Carey Price, despite what seemed like compelling video evidence. Then, with Craig Anderson pulled for the extra attacker, Cory Conacher joined a mad scramble in the Montreal crease, where he somehow managed to poke the puck in with just 23 seconds remaining.

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Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a hat trick after appearing in just nine regular season games. (Jay Kopinski/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Heading into their playoff meeting, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens didn’t have any obvious rivalry with each other. Three games later, that’s no longer the case. The ill will that was built upon the Lars Eller hit and the ensuing war of words through the first two contests was amped up to a new level after Ottawa humiliated the Habs 6-1 in a fractious, fight-filled Game 3. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, a rookie who played in just nine regular season games, led the Sens with three goals and Craig Anderson recorded 34 saves in the win. Ottawa now leads the series 2-1.

Here are a few observations from the contest:

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