Have you ever heard an announcer make some cliche reference to the two-goal lead being the hardest to protect? Never made much sense to me, seeing as how a two-goal lead is always better than a one-goal lead.The Penguins, however, seem determined to prove the two-goal lead is the hardest to protect, as they've developed a troubling habit of coughing them up late in games. On Saturday, Pittsburgh entered the third period of its game against Ottawa with a 3-1 lead, only to watch it slip away as the Senators stormed back for a 4-3 shootout win.
The Senators built some momentum with their penalty kill, shutting down the Pittsburgh power play on all five of its attempts, including an extended advantage following a Dany Heatley double-minor for high sticking early in the third period.
Nick Foligno and Chris Phillips scored less than two minutes apart for Ottawa to erase the deficit, ultimately sending the game to overtime. Here's the concerning thing if you're a Pens fan: since February 19, the Penguins have watched five different two-goal leads slip away in the third period.
February 19, 2009, vs. Montreal: had a 4-2 lead at the 3:00 mark of the third before Montreal rallied to tie the game at four. Penguins ultimately won, 5-4.
February 21, 2009, vs. Philadelphia: entered the period with a 3-1 lead before the Flyers scored two goals in the first seven minutes. Penguins escaped with a 5-4 win, thanks in large part to Martin Biron's turnover.
February 27, 2009, vs. Chicago: entered the period with a 4-2 lead before Jonathan Toews and Dave Bolland erased it for Chicago. Penguins eventually won in overtime, 5-4, thanks to a goal from Evgeni Malkin.
March 8, 2009, vs. Washington: entered the period with a 3-1 lead only to have the Capitals score a pair in the opening two minutes. Penguins won in a shootout, 4-3.
March 14, 2009, vs. Ottawa: entered the period with a 3-1 lead and were effectively dominated the final 10 minutes of regulation, and overtime, before losing in a shootout, 4-3.
The good news is, until Saturday the Penguins found a way to overcome their third period struggles and pull out wins. The bad news is they really needed that extra point on Saturday, especially with a Sunday matinee against Boston looming -- with the possibility of Mathieu Garon getting the start in net.
Of course, to counter this recent phenomenon of coughing up third period leads, the Penguins have managed to stage their own comebacks this past week. On Tuesday they erased a 3-1 deficit against Florida to earn a 4-3 win, and then came back from a 3-0 hole in Columbus on Thursday to earn a point in a shootout loss.
