Sens vs. Penguins 4/22/05 Articles: Sens jump out to series lead with 5-2 win
April 23, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: wbspenguins.com

SENS JUMP OUT TO SERIES LEAD WITH 5-2 WIN

The Binghamton Senators were the top team on the power play during the regular season, finding the back of the net more than 20% of the time. They showed no signs of slowing down that rate in the playoffs after their 5-2 victory against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday night at the Broome County Arena. Game Two of the best-of-seven series will take place Saturday at 7:05 pm in Binghamton.

Josh Langfeld and Jason Spezza each picked up a goal on the man advantage in the victory, allowing the host Senators to go tow-for-six on the power play, while the Pens were held without a man advantage goal in seven attempts. Special teams was the big factor in the game according to Wilkes-Barre forward Matt Murley.

“We need to take fewer penalties. You can’t have guys like Spezza and [Antoine] Vermette out there on the power play,” said Murley, who netted one of the two

Matt Murley recorded a second period goal for the Penguins Friday night.

Penguins’ goals on the evening. “If we stay out of the box and only have two or three to kill, we might be able to do that.”

There were plenty of bodies in the sin bin – on both sides – in Game One, as the teams combined for 78 penalty minutes on the evening in what was a rough and tumble game from the start.

“That was a typical first game, everybody banging,” said Murley. “They had their fair share of hits, but we gave it to them pretty good too.”

And not just with the physical play. The Penguins out-shot the Senators 35-29 on the night, including a 15-8 advantage in the opening frame. But goaltender Ray Emery was more than up to the challenge, turning aside 33 chances on the evening.

“Ray Emery was very good,” said head coach Michel Therrien. “We were playing well in the first period, we got 15 shots against eight. I thought we were controlling the most part of that period.

“But you look at the scoring chances and you look at the shots, we’re down by two goals. That’s tough to take. I think we were well prepared, the guys were aggressive, and there’s a couple of adjustments that need to be made tomorrow.”

It took the Senators just over two minutes. Langfeld took advantage of a pair of early penalties to Shane Endicott and Ryan Whitney to poke home Binghamton’s first playoff goal since May of 2003. Langfeld then set up Jesse Fibiger six minutes later to increase the lead to two goals.

“They get a five on three right away and capitalize on us. We got ourselves behind the eight ball,” Murley stated. “We played right with them five-on-five and we got the better of the chances there, we out-shot them. But they capitalized on their special teams.”

The Penguins’ alternate captain pulled the score back to 2-1 when he tipped home a Drew Fata blast from the slot early in the second period, but Spezza regained the two-goal cushion with a power play tally late in the middle frame.

Vermette and Charlie Stephens upped the lead to 5-1, before Michel Ouellet stuffed home his first of the playoffs behind Emery with less than seven minutes to play.

Despite the early setback, Murley and his teammates still have confidence going into Game Two.

“We’ve come back many a time on many a team,” he said. “That’s why it’s a seven-game series, it’s not decided in one game. We came up here to win one game, we have another chance tomorrow night. If we play out game, we’re going to have a real good chance to do it.”