The Pittsburgh Penguins came through when it mattered the most. Following a total meltdown in the first period of Game 3, the Penguins came out looking like a completely different team in Game 4. Pittsburgh put the pressure on the Ottawa Senators early and often and jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Although the Senators eventually bounced back and nearly sent the game to overtime at the end, it was too little too late and the Penguins held on to send the series back to Pittsburgh knotted at two apiece.
Don’t miss the action on the ice from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 21, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBC. We will have NHL playoff hockey odds at BookMaker.eu for every postseason game.
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Pittsburgh has been a favorite in every game this series and has lost money for bettors with the series tied at two. Under has been a good play thus far since there have only been 15 goals combined in the series.
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Matt Murray was named the starter for Game 4 after Marc-Andre Fleury had a very poor outing in Game 3. Some criticized the quick hook on Fleury, but Murray was the starter all season long before he was injured prior to the postseason.
Murray was solid all season long and despite some hairy moments, got the job done in Game 4. He handles the puck much better than Fleury does and doesn’t give up the rebounds that Fleury does either. Although he was out of position at times, that is expected since he hadn’t played in a month.
He will get the start again in Game 5. Murray has stopped 43 of 46 shots on goal in two games against Ottawa.
Key Stat
Pittsburgh finally was able to have some success on the offensive end of the ice in Game 4. For the first time all series, the Penguins were able to put more than 30 shots on net and three goals was a series high as well. Pittsburgh continued its success on the power play too and now has netted two of its last three chances.
The key for the offensive resurgence was Sidney Crosby. Crosby looked like himself for the first time since suffering a concussion against Washington. He tallied a goal and an assist in the game and put pressure on Ottawa all night.
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Injuries continue to play a big role in this series. Pittsburgh is without one of its best defensemen in Justin Schultz and another one, Trevor Daley, is banged up as well. Additionally, Bryan Rust and Patrick Hornqvist continue to be sidelined.
For Ottawa, Alex Burrows missed Game 4 with an injury and the team is hoping he can go in Game 5. Burrows was acquired from Vancouver before the deadline and the cagey veteran has given the Senators grit and scoring.
Erik Karlsson has been phenomenal for Ottawa this entire postseason. Despite playing with a painful injury, Karlsson continues to lead the team in points just like he did in the regular season. In addition to that, he is also logging an insane amount of ice time. On average, Karlsson is logging 28:25 per game.
Don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh goes after Bobby Ryan a bit in game 5. His cheap shot of Chad Ruhwedel went unpenalized and it doesn’t seem like the league is going to step in either. There will be a target on his back here.
The best bet here will be the over. That might be somewhat surprising with the trend in this series, but Pittsburgh’s defenders have been stretched really thin. Karlsson has to be tired with all his time on the ice too and that will show.
NHL Playoff Odds: Penguins 4, Senators 3
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