Sens vs. Penguins 4/22/05 Articles: B-Sens strike first; Emery turns back Penguins
April 23, 2005

Posted by: Bob Howard
Credit: Scott Lauber of Press Connects.com

B-Sens strike first

Emery turns back Penguins

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Press & Sun-Bulletin

BINGHAMTON -- Amid all the guessing over which Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie would start Game 1 of the East Division semifinals, Chris Kelly remarked Friday morning on the state of the Binghamton Senators' goaltending.

"Going into the playoffs," the Senators' captain said, "I'd much rather have the Goalie of the Month for April than the Goalie of the Month for October."

Seven straight victories to finish the regular season transformed Ray Emery into "Mr. April," and his torrid streak continued in the playoff-opener. Emery was the Senators' savior in a 5-2 victory that would've been much closer if not for his latest bit of thievery.

Co-coach John Paddock described Game 1 as the Senators' "worst game in two weeks" and "far from how we have to play." But Emery made 33 saves, including a half-dozen showstoppers, to pilot the Senators to a lead in the best-of-seven series that continues here tonight.

And he'll need to be even better since they'll likely be without top goal scorer Denis Hamel, who suffered a left knee injury in the first period and may not be ready for Game 2 even though the Senators have listed him as "day to day."

"It was different during the regular season because you don't get the nerves going much," Emery said. "I had the nerves going before the game. I was definitely a bit jittery."

He certainly fooled the 4,113 in the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, none of whom knew top prospect Marc-Andre Fleury would start for the Penguins until the pregame lineup announcements.

Fleury and 2004 playoff hero Andy Chiodo took the ice together for warmups and went through nearly identical pregame routines. Even the well-informed Paddock guessed incorrectly 90 minutes before the game when he suggested it would be Chiodo, not Fleury, between the pipes.

It hardly seemed to matter to the Senators, who grabbed the lead with two goals by Josh Langfeld and defenseman Jesse Fibiger on their first six shots in the opening 8:22.

But despite holding a 2-0 lead after one period, the Senators didn't play particularly well. They allowed 15 shots in the opening 20 minutes, seven of which were termed by the Senators as "quality chances," and needed Emery to keep the Penguins from cutting into the advantage.

The turning point came in the game's eighth minute when Emery cut across the crease from left to right and robbed Eric Christensen. Langfeld led the ensuing rush, and Fibiger crept in from the blue line to rip the puck into the top corner for the 2-0 lead.

"If not for Ray there, it's a 1-1 hockey game," Langfeld said. "He's been great for the last 10 games or so. It's going to take a good shot to beat him."

It took the Penguins 89 seconds to go down two skaters and the Senators 2:03 to go up 1-0. With 10 seconds remaining on Shane Endicott's penalty for slashing Spezza and Ryan Whitney serving a high-sticking minor, Fleury missed a poke check and was unable to scramble back into position before Langfeld swiped the puck into the net.

Emery, who Ottawa goalie coach Ron Low said this week is playing better than at any stage of the season, didn't miss much of anything. He made a point-blank save off Michel Ouellet's one-timer at 12:50, closed his pads on Rob Scuderi's knuckler from just inside the blue line at 17:51 and used skate and pad saves off Endicott and Tomas Surovy from a sharp angle in the first period's final minute to protect the 2-0 lead.

"It was kind of a blessing in disguise," Emery said of being so busy in the first period. "To have a lot of action helps, especially when you've got some butterflies."

At last, the Penguins solved him with 1:44 gone in the second when Matt Murley redirected Drew Fata's point shot. But the Senators continued applying pressure, with Kelly ringing the post at 5:30 and Jason Spezza tucking a shot between Fleury's skate and the right post on the power play at 16:48.

Third-period goals by Antoine Vermette and Charlie Stephens built a four-goal cushion before Ouellet's goal with 6:41 remaining accounted for the final margin.

"I don't think our first period, or our first period and a half, were what we wanted," center Pat Kavanagh said. "I don't know if that's us playing bad or them playing well, but no matter what, we need to be better."