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3 major takeaways from Ottawa Senators' 5-2 loss in preseason game vs Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins took care of business in the annual "Kraft Hockeyville" event, with this year's edition taking place in Sudbury, Ontario, against the Ottawa Senators. Thanks to a strong performance from their top players on Sunday, the Penguins earned a 5-2 victory.
Pittsburgh's big names of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were the star attractions of the evening, and they delivered, as they've so often done throughout their Hall of Fame careers.
While the Senators took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission, thanks to goals from Nick Cousins and Tim Stutzle, Crosby found the back of the net for Pittsburgh, tying the game.
Malkin then took over, scoring twice in the second period before completing his hattrick late on in the game's final frame. And for good measure, Crosby added his second just before the midway point of the third period to give Pittsburgh a two-goal lead.
Goaltender Anton Forsberg played the entire game for Ottawa, making 21 saves on the 25 shots he faced. Let's have a look at the three takeaways from the game:
#1 Fans of Sudbury showed out in a big way
All tickets were sold out for the event, which are awarded to a town every season and also includes $250,000 to put toward arena upgrades. It was a major event reflected in the happiness and excitement on the faces of those in attendance, especially younger fans.
"It means the world to them, and you can see it in their faces, in their body language," said Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. "I think that inspires our group. It brings us all back to when we were that age... it's a privilege to come and be part of this game tonight."
#2 Senators captain Brady Tkachuk escaped injury
There have been a handful of notable examples in exhibition play of top players going down with injury, led by Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty and Montreal Canadiens forward Patrik Laine. Both are expected to miss significant time with ailments.
During Sunday's game, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk nearly got added to that list, as he departed early in the third period after colliding with Pittsburgh's Kris Letang and his shoulder in pain.
The good news for Ottawa is that he eventually returned and finished the rest of the game.
#3 The Senators mostly controlled the first period
Playing against a Penguins roster mostly filled with regular roster players, the Senators outplayed them in the opening frame and enjoyed a 15-9 advantage in shots.
Despite the setback, the Senators viewed their early play as a positive and will be taking the loss as a learning experience.
“It’s pre-season and we’re still learning,” said defenseman Jake Sanderson. “We controlled a lot of the game, there are a lot of positives. But we have to take care of the third (period).”
The Senators will continue their exhibition play on Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.
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