RECAP. Real Deal City. Pens WIN

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The Ottawa Senators made their 1st trip of the season to Corporate Entitlement Center last night.  The last time these two teams got together it was before Christmas up in Ottawa.  Pens got spanked 5-nil.  The last time the Sens were in town the Pens sent them packing for the summer.  The Pens scored unlimited goals that game.  This one not so much.  This game had its moments but it also was very sloppy at points.  Broken sticks.  Horrible passes couch Matt Niskanen cough Brooks Orpik cough.  Bouncing pucks that were impossible to handle.  There were some exciting up and down moments though.  Another thing that was sloppy in this game was the officiating.  What an embarrassment.  Chris Lee is a horrible referee.  Ottawa got away with unlimited interference all game.  One even led to a goal that put the Pens down 1-nil.  The Pens peppered Craig Anderson all night long. The Pens put something like 48 shots on net or something.  They cashed in late in a power play to tie the game.  MAF wasn't very busy last night but when he was he had to make some pretty good saves.  Like this one:

gif via The Pensblog

Glad to see Brooks Orpik still refuses to play defense.

And this one:

via The Pensblog.

Jaw dropping.

Erik Karlsson.  Your thoughts?

The game dipped into overtime where Robert Bortuzzo and James Neal went to work.  Bortuzzo, who had another stellar game, got a shot on goal.  Anderson let up a huge rebound and James Neal was there to scoop it up.  He waited and waited till he got his angle and ripped a shot into the open net to give the Pens the win 2-1.

Bortuzzo's face tho.

1. James Neal

2. Craig Anderson

3. Brian Gibbons

Stuff:

• Olli Maatta and Robert Bortuzzo were great last night.  Bort had an elite poke check to stop a Sens chance.  Maatta cleared a puck that was in the crease that Fleury lost sight of.   Maatta had an assist on the 1st Pens goal.  Bort had an assist on the game winner.
• Brook Orpik and Matt Niskanen were dreadful.
• Marc Andre Fleury.  Nothing else really needs said here.  He has 30 wins this season.
• Sidney Crosby is in a bit of a scoring slump.  He only has 2 goals since January 11th.
• The Pens have 17, 18, 18, 21, 21, 21, 30 point leads on the rest of the teams in the Metrosexual division.  They are also the 3rd team to reach the 80 point plateau.

Pens next game is tomorrow night in Buffalo.

Go Pens