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Malone comes through as Penguins top Senators

Apr 12, 2008 - 4:31 AM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- With numerous international stars on their roster, the Pittsburgh Penguins relied on a local native to lead them to another playoff victory.

Ryan Malone snapped a tie with 62 seconds remaining in the third period and added an empty-netter as the Penguins posted a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Friday to take a two-games-to-none lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

Czech Petr Sykora also scored twice and Russian defenseman Sergei Gonchar added a goal for Pittsburgh, which went 3-for-6 on the power play.

Captain Sidney Crosby collected four assists and Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin recorded three for the Penguins.

"Obviously, it's a big win," Crosby said. "We wanted to make sure we took these two games here at home. I think it was a nail-biter there, but I think we played great hockey and we deserved to win the hockey game."

"We deserved to win that game," Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien added. "It was a nice goal by (Malone). The power play was outstanding. What more can we say about Crosby and Malkin? They want to win, and when our leaders want to win, you know that you are on the right track. There is no doubt that those guys did a fantastic job."

Shean Donovan, Cory Stillman and Cody Bass tallied for the Senators, who host Game Three on Monday.

"We're down 2-0, we're going home, we're looking forward to Game Three," Stillman said. "You win Game Three, it's a 2-1 series. We got some goaltending tonight. (It's time) for the rest of us to do our job now."

"It's going to be a crazy environment," Malone said. "It's going to be fun, and those are the games you want to be a part of, so everyone's excited to go up there. It's not over, we've got to keep battling here."

The son of former Penguins player and scout Greg Malone who was born and raised in Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old Ryan Malone helped his club avoid an embarrassing loss and take a commanding lead in its quarterfinal series.

After the Penguins squandered a 3-0 lead, Ryan Malone took over in the final stages of the third period.

Martin Gerber made the save on Marian Hossa's backhander from the left faceoff circle, but Ryan Malone corralled the rebound and skated behind the net before stuffing the puck inside the right goalpost just 12 seconds into a power play at 18:58 for his first career postseason goal and a 4-3 edge.

"Sid just threw the puck on net, like we had been trying all night, and Hoss tipped it and Gerber kind of left a little rebound there," Ryan Malone said. "He was out a little bit from his net, so I just tried to beat him over to that far post, and it ended up working out."

"You have to go step by step and you have to make sure the rebound doesn't go in," Gerber said. "He made a good play behind the net and, I don't know, I think it went off something there."

The Penguins were awarded the late man advantage when Martin Lapointe was called for high-sticking. Lapointe was disappointed in himself for committing the penalty.

"I didn't think I did it. I might have caught him in the helmet, but there's no excuse for it," he said. "I've got to keep my stick down. ... You don't want to put your team a man down, especially with a minute and a half to go."

With seven seconds remaining, Ryan Malone fired the puck into an empty net, sealing the victory and sending Pittsburgh to Canada's capital city with a comfortable lead in the series.

Gonchar opened the scoring during a 5-on-3 power play with 3:50 to go in the first, sending a one-timer from just above the slot into the top right corner of the net.

Instead of taking the credit for scoring, Gonchar gave it to teammate Gary Roberts for giving him the chance.

"He did a great job in front," Gonchar said. "He blocked the vision of the goalie, and the goalie didn't have a chance to see the puck, so that's why I scored."

Sykora scored goals 5 1/2 minutes apart in the second to make it a 3-0 bulge.

During another man advantage, Crosby completed a cross-slot pass from the left circle to Malkin, who dished to Sykora alone on the doorstep for an easy tally at 5:22. The 31-year-old added his second of the game and third of the series at 10:52, beating Gerber with a one-timer from the right circle.

"I try to find the open ice," Sykora said. "I try to make sure that I'm facing the net, and without even looking, (Malkin) is giving me those one-timers. The goalie doesn't know if he's going to shoot or if he's going to pass, and that's why I have so much room, because (the goalie) has to move. So when he makes the pass, I just try to hit the net, and I did."

Ottawa began its comeback just 33 seconds later as Donovan netted his sixth career playoff goal at 11:25. Enforcer Chris Neil got to a loose puck in the right corner and sent it in front to Donovan, who redirected it past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

With 3:49 left in the period, Stillman tipped a pass from Dany Heatley between Fleury's pads from in front during a power play to draw the Senators within 3-2.

"Your goal-scorers need to score goals," Stillman said. "If your third- and fourth-line guys can score goals, it gives you a chance to win every night, and we had that opportunity."

Bass forged a tie at 8:51 of the third, banging his own rebound past Fleury from the doorstep for his first career playoff tally.

While glad to see role players score goals, Ottawa coach Bryan Murray wants to see stars such as Heatley and Jason Spezza produce.

"We get goals from guys that go to the net, and on two occasions, Shean Donovan and Cody Bass went to the net and got the puck in tight and scored," Murray said. "That's what we have to do. But there's no question we have to get some goals from our other people as well."

Gerber finished with 49 saves for the Senators, including 37 over the first two periods.

"You don't expect (over 50 shots) really, but it's a high-skill team," the Swiss goalie said of the Penguins. "You give them room, they're going to take the puck."

"He kept us in the game early, especially in the first period when they had 20 shots," Stillman said. "It'd be nice to pull a win out for him. The more he plays, the better he gets."

Crosby was glad to see his team record so many shots on goal.

"I think in the playoffs, you always want to get more pucks to the net because a lot of times, I think you'll see a lot of rebounds and not the prettiest goals, usually," he said. "We had some great scoring chances, too. I don't think they were shots from the outside."