The Ottawa Senators face elimination Friday night in Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pittsburgh, leading the playoffs series 3-1, is one win away from advancing to the NHL Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2009.
Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. You can watch it live HERE.
Pittsburgh comes into Game 5 with the momentum of a 7-3 rout from Wednesday's victory over Ottawa. Pittsburgh isn't ready to let off the pedal just yet, the Associated Press reports.
"The fourth win in a series is always the hardest to get," Penguins forward Matt Cooke told reporters. "(Opponents) become most desperate and emotionally attached to games."
Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson didn't sound desperate when he told reporters that his team "probably" couldn't win three straight games. He later clarified his comment and insisted that his team is not quitting.
"It sounds like I had given up (from what I hear)," Alfreddson said. "If you ask anyone, and they look at our series, I don't think there's too many people that would pick us right now and that's what I meant."
Ottawa believes they have the chance to force a Game 6, but they know they will have to play a perfect game and avoid any miscues.
"As you've seen in this series, when we don't play well for five, six minutes in a row the puck ends up in our net a few times," Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson told reporters. "It's really a focus thing and we have to focus on playing well and playing well every shift."
Anderson has had his hands full with the NHL's highest-scoring team of the regular season. Pittsburgh exploded for four goals in the third period of Game 4. Their firepower, led by Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis, has overwhelmed Ottawa's defense at times.
Pittsburgh will continue its offensive onslaught in their bid to capture the franchise's fourth Stanley Cup. A win on Friday brings them one game closer.
