Overtime goal clinches series

Associated Press

ottawa

Pascal Dupuis scored 9:56 into overtime for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who erased a three-goal deficit and eliminated the Ottawa Senators from the playoffs with a 4-3 victory in Game 6 on Saturday night.

The Senators led 3-0 in the second period and appeared to go up 4-1 in the frame, but lost a goal to video replay when it was determined the puck crossed the line after the net was knocked off its moorings.

Matt Cooke scored his second of the game with 7:36 left in regulation to tie it at 3. Bill Guerin had a goal earlier in the third, a period in which Pittsburgh held an 18-4 shots advantage.

Matt Cullen and Daniel Alfredsson each had a goal and an assist for Ottawa, which won Game 5 at Pittsburgh in triple overtime to stave off elimination. The Senators hoped to force a decisive Game 7 back in the Steel City.

Dupuis made sure a return trip wouldn’t be necessary. He took Jordan Staal’s pass from the left corner and fired a shot past Pascal Leclaire for the winner.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 shots as the Penguins won the eighth time in nine playoff series after they were eliminated by Ottawa in five games in the first round in 2007.

The fourth-seeded Penguins will have to wait for the remaining two Eastern Conference first-round series to end to know who they will face next.

Leclaire made 38 saves, and Chris Neil also scored for the Senators, who missed the playoffs last season to end a run of 11 straight postseason appearances.

Leclaire, who took the loss in Game 4 after relieving Brian Elliott, gave Ottawa a strong effort for a second straight game after he was barely used down the stretch in the regular season.

Guerin drove a one-timer from the left circle off Leclaire’s left arm and into the net 7:03 into the third to draw the Penguins within 3-2. Cooke tied it with a backhand into an open side at 12:24.

Leclaire made his first career playoff start Thursday, setting a team record with 56 saves in the Senators’ 4-3 win. Matt Carkner scored the winning goal in that one to end the longest game in Senators history.