:sens: @ 
ens: Preview
(Pittsburgh leads best-of-7 series 3-1)
Big story: -- What a difference a week makes. One week ago, there was worry -- if not panic -- in Pittsburgh after Ottawa beat the Penguins 5-4 in the series opener. But as the Penguins come home for Game 5, there's a sense of anticipation after three consecutive wins over the Senators, including 4-2 and 7-4 victories at Ottawa in which the Penguins never trailed and looked increasingly dominant as time went by.
Who's hot?: -- Ottawa center Matt Cullen, a late-season acquisition, has 2 goals and 6 points in four games, tops on the Senators. … No one in the playoffs is hotter than Crosby, whose 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) are the most of anyone through the first week of the postseason. But Evgeni Malkin has also been producing, scoring 4 goals in as many games. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has 6 assists.
Injury report: -- Pittsburgh forward Tyler Kennedy, who left early in Game 3 after a hit by Andy Sutton, has a lower body injury and is day-to-day. Defenseman Jordan Leopold, who hasn't played since being hit in the head by Sutton during the first period of Game 2, is also listed as day-to-day. … Ottawa has been hampered by the absence of top-six forwards Alex Kovalev and Milan Michalek, both of whom are gone for the playoffs after knee surgery.
Stat pack: -- Perhaps the only thing that can slow down the Penguins is history. They're 2-4 in the last six games in which they have the opportunity to eliminate an opponent in a non-Game 7 situation. That includes a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia in the first round last year.
Puck drop: -- After an opening-night hiccup, the Penguins reasserted themselves as defending Stanley Cup champions, increasing their domination as the series has progressed. Ottawa hasn't gotten the kind of goaltending that can steal games in the postseason, and unless that happens, the Senators will be booking tee times by the weekend. They will need a vastly improved effort across the board to send the series back to Ottawa.
ens: Preview(Pittsburgh leads best-of-7 series 3-1)
Big story: -- What a difference a week makes. One week ago, there was worry -- if not panic -- in Pittsburgh after Ottawa beat the Penguins 5-4 in the series opener. But as the Penguins come home for Game 5, there's a sense of anticipation after three consecutive wins over the Senators, including 4-2 and 7-4 victories at Ottawa in which the Penguins never trailed and looked increasingly dominant as time went by.
Who's hot?: -- Ottawa center Matt Cullen, a late-season acquisition, has 2 goals and 6 points in four games, tops on the Senators. … No one in the playoffs is hotter than Crosby, whose 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) are the most of anyone through the first week of the postseason. But Evgeni Malkin has also been producing, scoring 4 goals in as many games. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar has 6 assists.
Injury report: -- Pittsburgh forward Tyler Kennedy, who left early in Game 3 after a hit by Andy Sutton, has a lower body injury and is day-to-day. Defenseman Jordan Leopold, who hasn't played since being hit in the head by Sutton during the first period of Game 2, is also listed as day-to-day. … Ottawa has been hampered by the absence of top-six forwards Alex Kovalev and Milan Michalek, both of whom are gone for the playoffs after knee surgery.
Stat pack: -- Perhaps the only thing that can slow down the Penguins is history. They're 2-4 in the last six games in which they have the opportunity to eliminate an opponent in a non-Game 7 situation. That includes a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia in the first round last year.
Puck drop: -- After an opening-night hiccup, the Penguins reasserted themselves as defending Stanley Cup champions, increasing their domination as the series has progressed. Ottawa hasn't gotten the kind of goaltending that can steal games in the postseason, and unless that happens, the Senators will be booking tee times by the weekend. They will need a vastly improved effort across the board to send the series back to Ottawa.
