PITTSBURGH _ Hockey's best offensive team had been unable to score goals. It was akin to Aroldis Chapman losing his fastball or Usain Bolt running the 40-yard dash in 5 seconds flat. Scoring is what these Penguins do. Only they hadn't done it for the better part of three weeks.
Until Sunday.
The Penguins offense is apparently alive and well, and it bopped the Senators over the head more than a few times throughout a 7-0 thrashing Sunday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final at PPG Paints Arena, one that felt like it should have been halted by some sort of mercy rule.
Now, the clicking-on-all-cylinders Penguins hold a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close Tuesday at Canadian Tire Centre, the organization's sixth trip to a Stanley Cup Final just one win away.
The seven-goal output _ the high-water mark for them this postseason _ came after the Penguins went nine games scoring three or fewer goals, six in a row scoring one or two.
If Friday's 3-2 win at Ottawa was the Penguins staggering to their feet following a seven-count, they started out this one throwing haymakers, scoring four goals in the first period and forcing Senators coach Guy Boucher to play a game of musical chairs with his goaltenders.
How the Penguins did this appropriate, too:
_Seven different players scored, while 11 of 18 skaters contributed at least point.
_Evgeni Malkin and Carter Rowney led the way with three points apiece, Malkin almost toying with the Senators at times with some of his passes and Rowney contributing to a possession-heavy third line that accumulated seven points.
_All four lines scored at least one goal, plus two from defenseman and three on the power play
_They rang up 36 shots on goal, their second consecutive game with 35 or more
_After sitting back and playing on the perimeter more than they would have liked earlier in this series, they Penguins employed more of a speed game and scored dirty goals from in tight; five of their seven goals came from 13 feet or less.
Think Nashville or Anaheim, both beaten and battered, want to face this? Likely not. The only question is whether this offensive surge is an aberration or the case of water finding its level. Opponents would prefer the former.
Game 5 is typically the heartbreaker in a series, and that could well turn out to be the case here as the Penguins grabbed the momentum in a big way.
The Penguins improved to 20-10 all-time in Game 5 at home; they've won eight of their past 12 in that situation.
Meanwhile, when a best-of-seven series is tied at 2, as this one was, the Game 5 winner is 198-54, including 5-0 this year.
After the Penguins went ahead, 3-0, on a deflection goal by Bryan Rust at 16:04, Boucher made a goalie change, inserting Mike Condon into the game for Craig Anderson.
Only Anderson remained on the bench for just 1:28 and before checking back in at the scorer's table _ OK, not quite. Scott Wilson made up for lost time by backhanding a puck off the end boards for a 4-0 lead at 18:17 of the first.
Four goals in the opening 20 minutes for a team that had six first-period goals in its first 16 playoff games.
Condon started the second period, but it was more of the same from the Penguins. Rowney went low-to-high in the zone _ another tactical improvement in this one, and Mark Streit dished to Matt Cullen in the slot for an easy goal.
Phil Kessel picked up the Penguins' fourth power-play goal in three games at :50 of the third period, and Trevor Daley added another man-advantage goal at 8:49, the Penguins a touchdown ahead, 7-0.
Olli Maatta gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 8:14 of the first period when his shot from above the left circle found its way under Anderson's blocker. After going without a goal in his first 46 playoff games, Maatta now has scored in two in a row.
Smart play by Rust on the goal, too, skating the puck deeper into the zone before dropping a pass back to Maatta. Rust was highly effective, as he returned from a two-game absence due to a lower-body injury.
Getting the first goal of the game continued to be a thing _ for the Penguins overall in these playoffs and specifically within this series. They're 10-1 when scoring first, while the first-goal-getter is 5 for 5 this series.
The Penguins continued to apply a ton of pressure, even when Cullen was called for tripping; Carl Hagelin found himself with a shorthanded breakaway that he was unable to convert.
For a second consecutive game, Hagelin's legs looked normal, a positive development for the Penguins offense. He, Cullen and Josh Archibald compromised a speedy fourth line that seems to be developing more and more chemistry.
After Ottawa's Mark Stone went off for slashing, Sidney Crosby deflected a Daley point shot for a 2-0 Penguins lead at 12:03.
Crosby has goals in three consecutive games, all of them coming on the power play. Sunday's _ a tip from just 9 feet _ came after Malkin shook off pressure from Senators forward Viktor Stalberg.
More consistent pressure followed. Malkin and Rowney helped keep the puck in the zone. The Penguins completed 1:22 of possession time with the goal off Rust's thigh.
Matt Murray started in goal for the second consecutive game. He had to do little more than watch but stopped all 25 shots he faced.
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