Kunitz scores in 2nd OT, Pens top Sens in Game 7
PITTSBURGH -- Chris Kunitz scored his second goal of the game at 5:09 of the second overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final Thursday night to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Ottawa Senators 3-2 and into the Stanley Cup Final.
The Penguins, in the Cup final for the fourth time in 10 years, will begin defense of their 2016 championship Monday when the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators visit.
Pittsburgh will be trying to become the first repeat titlist since the Detroit won back-to-back Cups in 1997 and '98.
Ottawa fell short of making the Cup final for the first time since 2007.
Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray, playing on his 23rd birthday, stopped 27 of 29 Senators shots.
Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson, who stopped 45 of 46 shots in Game 6, made 39 saves Thursday.
The game was nearly halfway through regulation before the Penguins scored the first goal off a two-on-one against Ottawa defenseman Erik Karlsson. Kunitz one-timed a pass from Conor Sheary in tight to make it 1-0 at 9:55 of the second period. It was Kunitz's first goal in his past 22 playoff games.
Just 20 seconds, Mark Stone tied it for the Senators, taking a short pass ahead from Karlsson and, from the lower part of the right circle, lifting the puck over Murray's glove.
Justin Schultz scored on a blast from the center point at 11:44 of the third on Pittsburgh's first power play of the game for a short-lived 2-1 Penguins lead.
At 14:41 of the third, Ryan Dzingel lifted the Senators into a 2-2 tie when he scored on a rebound of a Karlsson shot.
NOTES: Pittsburgh D Justin Schultz (shoulder) returned but RW Patric Hornqvist (upper body) did not. Both took the pregame warmup and were considered game-time decision because of upper-body injuries. ... Penguins LW Conor Sheary was back after being a healthy scratch for two consecutive games, replacing RW Josh Archibald. ... Ottawa C Colin White, who made his NHL postseason debut in Game 6, was scratched in favor of C Chris Kelly.