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Senators storm past Ducks, get back in Stanley Cup Finals

Jun 3, 2007 - 5:30 AM OTTAWA (Ticker) -- What a difference playing on home ice makes. Getting some fortunate bounces also tends to help.

Dean McAmmond snapped a tie with a fluke goal late in the second period and defenseman Anton Volchenkov added insurance 8 1/2 minutes into the third as the Ottawa Senators found their offensive touch and posted a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday.

After finishing second in the league in goals during the regular season, Ottawa entered the Finals tied with Detroit for first in tallies in the playoffs. But the Senators managed just two goals in the first two games in Anaheim, with both coming in Game One on the power play.

But with a raucous crowd at Scotiabank Place behind them, the Senators broke through in a big way to get back in the series and have a chance to even it at two wins apiece when they host Game Four on Monday.

"We knew we'd get a boost being back home, in front of our fans," Senators center Mike Fisher said. "Before the game, we could hear them going nuts. We were confident. We knew we could put out a good effort and beat this team. ... We know how we can beat this team now."

"The crowd helped us out, no question," Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson added. "Every line played real well today. I think as a team, we needed to have a good effort, and we got some big shifts from Fisher's line, (Chris) Kelly's line with (Chris) Neil and those guys. ... It was was nice to see."

The teams traded tallies over the first 36 1/2 minutes before McAmmond put Ottawa ahead for good with 86 seconds left in the middle period. Oleg Saprykin gained control in the left corner and dished to McAmmond, who attempted a pass from behind the net.

Instead of reaching its target in Christoph Schubert, the puck caromed off defenseman Chris Pronger and past goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, giving McAmmond his fifth goal of the postseason and the Senators a 4-3 edge.

"It was great work by us in their zone by passing the puck," Saprykin said. "Schubert got good speed and was able to chip it by Getzlaf. He passed it back to me and I passed it to Dean, and Dean made a great shot."

"They outworked us, simple as that," Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said. "When you're playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, there's a lot of emotions and a lot of energy that gets expended. And tonight, some of their foot soldiers. ... Some of their other players stepped up for them, and you have to give them credit."

Early in the third, McAmmond was elbowed in the head by Pronger and remained on the ice in the corner for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. He did not return.

"He's OK now," Senators coach Bryan Murray said. "He's come around now. I don't know what the state will be going forward for a little bit of time."

Goalless since scoring the winner against Pittsburgh in Game Four of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Volchenkov doubled Ottawa's advantage at 8:22 of the third. Antoine Vermette dug the puck out of a crowd in the left corner and skated behind the net before passing to Volchenkov, who ripped a shot from the right faceoff circle that beat Giguere to the glove side for his second of the playoffs.

"It was a really good play by Antoine Vermette," Volchenkov said. "He skated behind the net and made a great pass to me. I made a one-timer and scored."

The two-goal lead was the first by either team in the series.

Despite returning home with a 2-0 series deficit, the Senators were welcomed to a thunderous ovation when they hit the ice. But after goaltender Ray Emery - who turned aside 19 shots - made a spectacular glove save on Dustin Penner from alone in the right circle just two minutes into the game, the crowd was silenced at 5:39.

Just 1-for-25 on the power play in its previous four road contests, Anaheim converted its first chance in this one to take the lead.

From behind his net, Emery fire the puck up the right wing boards. But Fisher could not control it, and Teemu Selanne gained possession in the right corner.

After skating behind the net, the "Finnish Flash" dished to Andy McDonald, who fired a wrist shot from the slot that beat a stickless Emery to the short side. The netminder had dropped his stick while attempting to prevent Selanne from tucking in the puck at the left goalpost.

Ottawa drew even with 3:50 remaining after buzzing for several minutes. Kelly got the puck from defenseman Andrej Meszaros and carried through the left circle to below the end line.

Tough guy Neil, whose wife gave birth to the couple's first child Friday night, received a pass from Kelly and put a shot from in front past Giguere for his second goal of the postseason.

"He really rewarded us with effort, great attitude, and getting the goal was a big bonus for us," Murray said.

"We knew we weren't going to win this game 1-0," Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf said. "Not with the team they have over there. They battled the way they wanted to at home and we didn't. ... We can't blame anybody else, we're the ones out on the ice. We had some lapses tonight and it cost us."

Neil's tally was Ottawa's first at even strength in the Finals and ended its scoreless streak at 111 minutes, 34 seconds.

The hero of Game One by scoring the winning goal late in the third period, Travis Moen nearly put the Ducks ahead 85 seconds into the middle session of this one. But his shot from alone on the doorstep rang off the right post.

Corey Perry did restore Anaheim's lead at 5:20 with his fifth of the playoffs. Dustin Penner chipped a pass from along the left wing boards to the 2003 first-round pick, who walked to the net from the left corner and slipped the puck between the pads of Emery for a 2-1 edge.

But the Senators answered just 27 seconds later. After winning a faceoff in the right circle, Fisher deflected Volchenkov's shot from the point over the left shoulder of a screened Giguere for his fifth postseason goal.

"For whatever reason, we didn't move, weren't able to get physical," Ducks center Todd Marchant said. "We weren't big on the forecheck, we had to take penalties and they controlled the pace of the game. We have to get back to the hard work that we've become accustomed to all year."

It took the Ducks less than two minutes to take their third lead of the game as, from the slot, Getzlaf buried the rebound of Penner's shot, beating Emery to the stick side at 7:38 for his seventh tally and a 3-2 advantage.

Giguere made a blocker save on Alfredsson during a short 2-on-1 rush midway through the second, the Ottawa captain's soccer skills helped produce the equalizer.

"He's so good with his feet," Senators defenseman Wade Redden said. "He has quick eye-foot coordination, like it's a soccer ball out there. We all know how good he is with the speed of his feet. It came down to a skilled guy like that making a great play. It was a huge goal for us."

Redden unleashed a slap shot from the left point that hit Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer on its way to the net. The puck sailed to the right side, where Alfredsson - who had his stick tied up by Getzlaf - redirected it past Giguere with his left skate with 3:46 remaining.

The goal was waved off by referee Dan O'Halloran, but after the play was reviewed by video replay officials, Alfredsson was awarded a power-play goal, his 11th tally of the postseason and first in the Finals.

"I felt it was a goal all along," Alfredsson said. "I don't think it was kicked. To me, it felt I never kicked the puck, never lifted my foot. I was confident it was going to be a goal."

"Obviously, the league felt it wasn't kicked in," Carlyle said. "Sometimes those things go for you. Tonight, it went against us. We felt that there was a kicking motion from our point of view, but I haven't really reviewed the replay from a bunch of different angles. But that's the way it is. They make the call and you have to live with it."

Peter Schaefer had an opportunity to give Ottawa a 5-3 bulge but never got off a shot during his breakaway, instead allowing the puck to roll right into Giguere's pads just 36 seconds into the third.

With just over four minutes gone by, Marchant's attempt to forge a 4-4 tie was thwarted when Emery denied his shot on a shorthanded partial break.

Giguere made 24 saves for Anaheim, which lost for the first time this postseason when it scored at least two goals.

The Ducks again were unable to contain their composure, committing 12 penalties that resulted in seven power plays for the Senators. Seven of the infractions took place in the third period.

"The frustration level showed in our group in the third period," Carlyle said. "But we have to take responsibility for our actions, and we played nowhere near to our capabilities. And discipline was an issue."

Pronger agreed that the penalties hurt Anaheim.

"Especially when you're trying to mount a comeback and you take four straight penalties and allow them to continue to press forward and get chance after chance," he said. "They did a fantastic job of keeping us in forced defense for most of the third period. We did a great job in Game Two. We've got to come back and re-evaluate and make sure we're disciplined for Game Four."

Chris Kunitz returned to the lineup for the Ducks after suffering a broken hand in Game One of the Western Conference finals against Detroit. But the left wing suffered a "lower body" injury early in the second period and never returned.