POSTSCRIPT

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan asked his skaters to resist their playmaking instincts and embrace a patient, sometimes plodding style in the Eastern Conference final against Ottawa.

It took the players a few tries to figure everything out, but in the end, the Penguins secured a return trip to the Stanley Cup Final because they refused to fall victim to an opponent's commitment to structure.

Kunitz winner was the first shot for the penguins in 20T pic.twitter.com/ZTXlNIZDTn

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) May 26, 2017

"When our team plays a counterattack-type team, where they have numbers back all the time and they force you to have to chip pucks in and put pucks into space as opposed to carrying through the neutral zone, I think it challenges our group," Sullivan said after Thursday's 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 7. "So it takes a certain discipline on our part to make sure that we manage the puck the right way between the blue lines, and I think this series tested our group in that regard.

"I couldn't be more proud of our team for just the stick-to-itiveness, just the staying with it. Our last four games in this series, for me, we really found our game. We're skating. We're trying to play a speed game. We're on the puck. I think our defense starts in the offensive zone, just with our puck pursuit and playing in people's faces and hanging on to pucks in that offensive zone. I think that's when our team is at its best.

"I think the last four games of this series, I think our team has really found its stride, but certainly every game was a nail biter. I give credit to Ottawa for that. They defend extremely hard. They got timely saves, and they're an opportunistic group in the sense they've got some guys on their roster that can score. So they don't need a lot of chances, and they can score goals. That's what they did (Thursday) as an example of it.

"But I couldn't be more proud of our group of players for just staying with it, not losing their patience, not allowing frustration or any of that sort of mental aspect to get in the way of us trying to win games."

What a bizarre route through the playoffs:

Round 1: 4th seedRound 2: 1st seedRound 3: 12th seedRound 4: 16th seed

— 𝗝𝗮𝘀 (@j_a155) May 26, 2017

Ottawa coach Guy Boucher, one of the league's more eloquent bench bosses, struggled to put his emotions into words following the Senators' loss, which capped a playoff run fans and few in the media foresaw. He wondered if, for all that his Senators gave, he failed to reciprocate in some way.

"Obviously, hockey-wise they have a lot of going through adversity, a lot of building, a lot of individuals grew to a level that, I'll be honest with you, I never thought they'd get there in a few months," Boucher said. "You get to the end, and to see them grow and to see them push together, I wish I could have done something more to help them."

OVERTIME No. 2

The Penguins' opportunity to become the first NHL team to repeat as Stanley Cup champion since Detroit in 1998 remains alive.

Chris Kunitz buried a feed from Sidney Crosby early in the second overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final to deliver a 3-2 win at PPG Paints Arena. Kunitz, who entered Thursday with no goals since Feb. 16, twice found the back of the net with the Penguins' season on the line.

The Penguins will meet Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final.

Kunitz sends the Pens to the Final pic.twitter.com/y4YSerXku3

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Erik Karlsson, an ice-time machine with 37-plus minutes through the first overtime, held up better than one of the Zambonis at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday in Game 7.

Zamboni broke pic.twitter.com/i3a6S03hWC

— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) May 26, 2017

OVERTIME No. 1

Phil Kessel, 2016 Stanley Cup champion, missed a chance to punch the Penguins' ticket back to the Stanley Cup Final when he fired wide on a breakaway almost seven minutes into overtime of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference final.

Kessel came down the left wing and snapped a shot to the far side, only to see the puck drift wide.

kessel chance pic.twitter.com/iyDA3lct1m

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Officiating, a topic of much discussion in the series, hit one of its many lows during the overtime period when the Senators managed to use six skaters on the ice for a noticeable portion of time. Television cameras made the missed call painfully obvious.

pic.twitter.com/rGbDbQmVUh

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Another opportunity for the Penguins to end the series came and went when Kyle Turris used his skate to kick away a loose puck in the Ottawa crease.

Kick save, and a beauty, by Turris pic.twitter.com/K9SswOMrRV

— Paul Campbell (@WayToGoPaul) May 26, 2017

Penguins fans threw towels on the ice after a replay of a close call on a Phil Kessel shot appeared on the scoreboard. Kessel's shot danced along the crossbar and the top of the net, but the overhead camera view made it look as though the puck hovered inside the goal frame.

off the top of the crossbar pic.twitter.com/9TnMvUUQX4

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

is this really what they are mad about ? pic.twitter.com/LdozBSlwLS

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

pens fans are mad pic.twitter.com/4jhy1b3RGB

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

THIRD PERIOD

Erik Karlsson's best shot of of the Eastern Conference final came when Ottawa needed its star defenseman most.

The playmaking Swede threaded a slapper through heavy traffic and caught a post to create a rebound that Ryan Dzingel slammed into the net to tie the score in Game 7 less than three minutes after the Penguins took a lead with less than nine minutes left in regulation.

Fans at PPG Paints Arena sat with stunned expressions after the Penguins quickly squandered a lead for the second time in the game.

Dzingel scores it but this goal is all about Karlsson's bomb. pic.twitter.com/BwGLNOcOmY

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) May 26, 2017

Epic reaction from Ryan Dzingel after tying Game 7 in front of a stunned Pittsburgh crowd pic.twitter.com/Uebh43yvAb

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) May 26, 2017

Finding iron became something of a theme down the stretch.

close calls pic.twitter.com/0B5INEEEHP

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

The Penguins waited more than 51 minutes for their first power play opportunity in Game 7.

They waited just 25 seconds to make full use of the man advantage.

A wrist shot from Justin Schultz in the high slot snuck through traffic and beat Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson with eight minutes and 16 seconds left in regulation to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

Schultz missed the previous four and a half games after suffering an upper-body injury early in Game 2 of the series.

The Penguins, who killed off two penalties earlier in the game, received their power play opportunity after Dion Phaneuf interfered with Phil Kessel along the halfwall. Ottawa argued that Kessel willingly dove to draw the call. But enough other questionable acts in Game 7 went ignored that it probably became difficult for either team to argue it didn't deserve penalization for something.

Schultz making a difference in his return. Huge goal. pic.twitter.com/7cHtoKdxvc

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) May 26, 2017

Phaneuf penalty pic.twitter.com/W8N2qdDbt5

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Bryan Rust, well on his way to a solid "Mr. Game 7" legacy, failed to beat Anderson on a breakaway five minutes and 19 seconds into the third period of Game 7.

His chance represented the rare instance in which the Senators struggled to stay on the right side of the puck and reduce the Penguins' transition speed a bit.

Anderson shows no rust in stopping this breakaway. pic.twitter.com/JiJB3SsqXU

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) May 26, 2017

A game of inches. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/WQYw9lo2YQ

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) May 26, 2017

The Penguins' other notable odd-man rush of the night ended with a goal for Chris Kunitz.

With less than 10 minutes left in regulation, the Penguins had a 28-22 edge in shots on goal and 46-41 edge in attempts.

Craig Anderson will haunt the Penguins thru the offseason if they don't win this game.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 26, 2017

SECOND PERIOD

Just after the Penguins ended a scoring stalemate with Ottawa in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, they allowed a new one to begin on Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena.

A scoreless defensive struggle gave way to a 1-1 tie in just 20 seconds, and the Penguins' process of pressuring the Senators out of their structure and toward chaos started over again.

The Penguins headed to their dressing room at the second intermission leading in shots on goal (21-17) and shot attempts (35-33) despite killing off two penalties and receiving zero power plays.

More O-zone activity at 5v5 in the 2nd. Penguins, Senators still not allowing each other to get shots from the middle of the zone. pic.twitter.com/o4HWNpUTPz

— Bill West (@Just_BWest) May 26, 2017

Conor Sheary and Chris Kunitz, both desperate to end scoring slumps, raced down the ice after the Penguins won a defensive-zone draw and put their team ahead, 1-0, just five seconds short of the halfway point in regulation. The goal was Kunitz's first since burying a feed from Sidney Crosby to give the Penguins' captain his 1,000th career point in mid-February.

Kunitz goal pic.twitter.com/PJhVVJSMTa

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Ottawa's Mark Stone answered 20 seconds later as he finished a scoring chance off the rush.

Memories of the critical offsides challenge by coach Mike Sullivan in Game 6 of the 2016 Eastern Conference final against Tampa Bay came rushing back when Ottawa scored, as Stone nearly crossed the blueline early. But Penguins video replay wiz Andy Saucier likely radioed down to Sullivan and told the coach not to burn a challenge — a wise call, it appeared.

Stone goal pic.twitter.com/QQ3cEAoVls

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

nearly offside pic.twitter.com/XacRKboGKf

— steph (@myregularface) May 26, 2017

Ottawa defenseman Dion Phaneuf insisted Thursday morning that everyone he knew who has watched the Eastern Conference final found the Senators' style of play far from boring. He called it a good brand of hockey, even when short on goals and style points.

Phaneuf's friends and family must have loved the way the first period-plus of Game 7 shaped up, as neither the Penguins nor the Senators put much pressure on goaltenders Matt Murray and Craig Anderson.

Mission. Accomplished. https://t.co/YHMN2If7xU

— James Mirtle (@mirtle) May 26, 2017

Pretty saucer by Brassard to create a good (and highly rare) scoring chance. pic.twitter.com/XBbXNxNHHe

— Sean Tierney (@ChartingHockey) May 26, 2017

FIRST PERIOD

The opening 10 minutes of Game 7 between the Penguins and Ottawa included a surprising amount of end-to-end, whistle-free play and little that resembled a top-quality scoring chance for either side.

Just as they promised during the day after their 2-1 win in Game 6, the Senators worked to take away space around their net front and left the Penguins to look for offense out at the perimeter. Their counterattacks allowed them to establish a 4-2 edge in shots on goal and 8-6 margin in attempts midway through the opening period.

Just short of eight minutes passed without a stoppage in play, and during that span, the teams combined for 12 shot attempts.

The run of free-flowing, five-on-five action ended late in the period when Scott Wilson went to the penalty box for slashing. Ottawa managed just two shot attempts — only one reached Matt Murray — during their man advantage opportunity.

At the first intermission, the Penguins led, 6-5, in shots on goal. Each team had 13 shot attempts. Hopes of a Game 6 repeat in which the teams combined for 76 pucks on net looked slim.

Mike Sullivan probably would not call this playing with "conviction" in the O-zone. But plenty of time left to get to the blue paint. pic.twitter.com/in9gppRqYV

— Bill West (@Just_BWest) May 26, 2017

Not a bad period for the Penguins, but they need to get out of perimeter mode in the offensive zone. Find that soft spot in the middle.

— Jesse Marshall (@jmarshfof) May 26, 2017

PREGAME

Patric Hornqvist and Justin Schultz both took the ice for warm-ups and participated in line and defensive pairing rushes as the Penguins prepared for the Ottawa Senators in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.

Schultz partnered with Ian Cole, while Hornqvist skated on a line with Matt Cullen and Chris Kunitz. Conor Sheary and Mark Streit only watched the line rushes, a sign they'll serve as healthy scratches.

In the end, Schultz proved healthy enough to play, while Hornqvist again went in the scorebook as a scratch.

We're shaking things up once again. @6Schultz6 and @csheary13 return to the lineup. #PensIn7 pic.twitter.com/YI1jrDj3Wr

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 25, 2017

During morning skate, there were no obvious indications Hornqvist or Schultz would be in the lineup. Coach Mike Sullivan described both as "game-time decisions."

Hornqvist, who was a late scratch before Game 2 with an upper-body injury and has not been in the lineup since, took the skate in a regular practice jersey and seemed to be able to perform normal stickhandling tasks. He stayed on the ice much longer than his teammates, however, which often indicates a player will be scratched.

Patric Hornqvist taking morning skate pic.twitter.com/p1FVGnnFTE

— Jonathan Bombulie (@BombulieTrib) May 25, 2017

Schultz, meanwhile, did not take morning skate. He has been out since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2.

Josh Archibald, who has played the past two games as a fourth-line right wing, stayed out with the probable scratches at the end of the skate.

When he spoke to his players before the skate, Sullivan channeled Herb Brooks, reminding them of the opportunity a winner-take-all game presents. The winner will face Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final.

"I think we've got a great opportunity in front of us, and that's what I discussed with our players this morning," Sullivan said. "It's a great opportunity. We've worked so hard to put ourselves in this position all year long and we've got to embrace it. We've got to get excited about it, and I think our players are excited to play."

The Penguins are 2-0 in Game 7s under Sullivan. In franchise history, they're 0-7 in Game 7 at home after losing Game 6. The Senators, meanwhile, have never won a Game 7 in team history, losing five times.

I bet whoever wins this game goes on to play in the Stanley Cup final #hottake

— Beau Bennett (@BeauBennett19) May 25, 2017

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