PENGUINS, SENATORS VIE FOR EASTERN CONFERENCE SUPREMACY IN GAME 7; THURSDAY’S WINNER ADVANCES TO STANLEY CUP FINAL
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators will face off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final Thursday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh (8 p.m., ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports).
The winner of Thursday’s showdown will advance to the Stanley Cup Final and have home-ice advantage against the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators.
The Penguins are skating in a Game 7 for the second consecutive series, having eliminated the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Second Round with a 2-0 win at Verizon Center on May 10. Pittsburgh is playing host to Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season, having defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on May 26, 2016, en route to capturing the Stanley Cup. Overall, the Penguins are 9-7 in Game 7s: 3-7 at home and 6-0 on the road.
Penguins forward Carl Hagelin is 7-1 in eight career Game 7s, while teammate Matt Cullen is 6-0. Forward Bryan Rust has provided heroics in each of Pittsburgh’s past two Game 7s, scoring both goals in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win over Tampa Bay last season and notching the game-opening goal — the ultimate winner — two weeks ago at Washington.
The Senators are in quest of their first Game 7 win in franchise history (0-5). This marks the club’s first Game 7 appearance since the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Five players on the current Ottawa roster remain from the lineup that was edged 2-1 by the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden five years ago: goaltender Craig Anderson; defenseman Erik Karlsson; and forwards Chris Neil, Zack Smith and Kyle Turris.
Senators head coach Guy Boucher already has a Game 7 victory at Pittsburgh on his résumé, having directed the Lightning to a 1-0 decision over the Penguins in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in his rookie NHL campaign behind the bench.
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Game 7 Trends
* Home teams are 98-70 (.583) all-time in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including a 1-1 mark in 2017.
* The team that scores first is 125-43 all-time (.744), including a 1-1 mark in 2017.
* Forty Game 7s have required overtime (40-of-168, 23.8%). Home and road teams each have 20 wins.
The 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs mark the fourth consecutive year that at least one Game 7 has been contested in the Conference Finals (1 in 2014, 2 in 2015 and 1 in 2016). Overall, Game 7 remains the most frequently-occurring series length since the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There have been at least three Game 7s every postseason since 2008 including seven in both 2011 and 2014, tied for the most ever in one postseason (also 7 in 1994).
The Senators will play a Game 7 for the first time since the 2012 Conference Quarterfinals at NYR (2-1 L) and the sixth time in franchise history (0-5). Their lone such contest in the Conference Finals came in 2003 when they hosted the Devils (3-2 L).
The Penguins own an all-time record of 9-7 in 16 all-time Game 7s, including a win at WSH in the Second Round this year. Only four teams in NHL history have played more Game 7s than the Penguins – all of whom were part of the Original Six: the Red Wings (14-11) and Bruins (13-12) each have 25 GP, followed by the Canadiens (14-9) at 23 GP and Maple Leafs (12-10) at 22 GP.
The Senators staged the 32nd comeback victory of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs to continue the trend of close games that has highlighted this postseason. Ottawa’s victory also marked the 49th one-goal game this postseason (80 GP, 61.3%), two shy of the single-year NHL record established in 2007 (51 in 81 GP, 63.0%). Seven of the 12 total games played in the Conference Finals have been decided by one goal, with another two contests decided by two goals following an empty-net score.
The Senators scored a power-play goal for the first time since Game 1 of the Second Round vs. NYR, ending an 0-for-29 drought with the man advantage . . . Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin (1-0—1) leads all skaters with 7-17—24 in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs (18 GP) . . . The Oilers signed forward Iiro Pakarinen to a one-year contract extension . . . The Vegas Golden Knights announced a television partnership with ROOT SPORTS Rocky Mountain . . . NHL LiveWire: Click here to listen to the sights and sounds from Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final . . .The Senators and Penguins observed amoment of silence prior to Game 6 in honor of the Manchester attack victims.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
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