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Pittsburgh Penguins: Solving Craig Anderson and the Senators

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

May 23, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Bonino (13) falls to the ice after colliding with Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) in the third period in game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 23, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Bonino (13) falls to the ice after colliding with Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson (41) in the third period in game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s nearly game time for game seven between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators.

If the Pittsburgh Penguins want any chance of moving on to the Stanley Cup Finals, they are going to need to get past Craig Anderson.

Anderson has been playing great this series and throughout the Playoffs. He currently holds a 2.36 goals against average and .922% save percentage. He is very good, and although Ottawa has other great players, he should be the main one we need to defeat.

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Pittsburgh Penguins

However, the Penguins don’t need to fear him. They have scored on him countless times. It’s time we just need to solve him and finally move on.

The Goal Scoring is There

Let’s take a look at the stats real quick. Out of the entire league’s top five point scorers in these playoffs, four of them are Penguins. These include Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Jake Guentzel. The only player not on the Penguins on this list is Ryan Getzlaf in second place. Getzlaf’s Ducks have been eliminated however and we will most likely be able to overtake him if we move on.

Our scoring is definitely there. Our lines are clicking, and offence is being generated, more than any other team in the league right now. We have scored against Anderson many times during this series. The only thing we have to do is be more consistent.

We Need More Big Games From Our Top Players

Let’s face it, our best players are the ones scoring the most for us. They are the ones able to take score on Anderson and solve him. We need these players to come up huge.

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Like I mentioned before, four of the top five scorers right now are Penguins. Additionally, Jake Guentzel is the leading goal scorer in the entire league for the playoffs. If we can get bigger games from these four, including other key players like Justin Schultz and Trevor Daley, we’ll be set to win.

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