PITTSBURGH – The Ottawa Senators heard the naysayers. The chorus has grown so loud over the past month, tuning it out simply wasn't an option no matter how many one-goal victories they pulled off in the playoffs.
"A lot of people were doubting us and almost made us start doubting ourselves," defenseman Cody Ceci said.
Emphasis on almost.
If there was any concern Ottawa was just happy to be in the Eastern Conference finals, it vanished by the time Bobby Ryan slipped a backhander by Marc-Andre Fleury 4:59 into overtime Saturday night for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1.
The Senators never trailed thanks to heads up play by Ryan and 27 saves by Craig Anderson.
The key now will be trying to build on their performance in Game 2 on Monday night.
"We didn't do any extraordinary things," coach Guy Boucher said. "We just did the ordinary things well, and we stuck to it."
Associated Press
