PITTSBURGH _ The box score from Saturday's game will show that Bobby Ryan scored at 4:59 of overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final at PPG Paints Arena.
Truth be told, however, this loss occurred much earlier.
The Penguins could not score on five power-play chances that covered 10 shots on goal and 8:39, dropping that unit to 2 for 22 the past six games.
Poor puck management behind the Penguins net gifted Ottawa its first goal, and a far-too-passive approach when it came to shooting the puck created a non-aggressive mindset the Penguins will likely want to adjust before Game 2.
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan spent much of Friday's practice emphasizing strong neutral-zone play, the result of a 1-3-1 defensive system coach Guy Boucher's team employs.
That part of their game was fine, but several other aspects lacked as the Penguins dropped Game 1 of a series for the first time this postseason.
Game 2 is Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.
It looked like Chris Kunitz might have had a chance to end it just 90 seconds into overtime, but Senators defenseman Cody Ceci knocked the puck away on a breakaway attempt.
Then, Ryan went and beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a backhander, and that was that.
Fleury was excellent throughout the game, stopping 33 of 35 shots. He entered this one as the story of the playoffs thus far for the Penguins, and nothing Fleury did or didn't do against Ottawa will change that.
However, Senators goaltender Craig Anderson was outstanding, finding his groove early and stopping 27 of 28 to earn the win.
The Penguins did not generate enough traffic around Anderson. Unobstructed, his puck-tracking became his biggest asset on this night.
The Senators were the only NHL playoff team with a negative goal different (minus-2) and rely on a defense-first system that can often be boring to watch.
Despite the 1-3-1 trap, the Penguins were able to use their speed at times. But aside from the fourth line of Scott Wilson, Matt Cullen and Carter Rowney, they weren't able to generate a ton of consistent pressure.
Ottawa couldn't stay out of the penalty box in the first period. The Senators took four minors, but the Penguins weren't able to do any damage.
A too-many-men call at 4:58 gave the Penguins a two-man advantage. The power play was clicking early, but on the Senators' third penalty _ delay of game on Zack Smith _ entering the offensive zone suddenly became a challenge.
Ottawa took a 1-0 lead at 14:32 of the second period following a Penguins defensive gaffe. Brian Dumoulin turned it over behind his net, and Ryan slid a backhand, no-look pass out to Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Pageau scored his eighth goal of the playoffs from the inner-edge of the right circle. Another issue on the play was how slow Dumoulin's partner, Ron Hainsey, was getting over in support.
Penguins defensemen were noticeably more cautious early when making breakout passes, wary of passing into a middle-of-the-ice mess.
The Penguins' best two chances came when Jake Guentzel tipped a Hainsey shot that wound up hitting the crossbar, and Patric Hornqvist rung a shot off the post.
With Mark Stone off for interference midway through the second period, the Penguins enjoyed one of their best scoring chances of the game.
Hornqvist got his stick on a Justin Schultz point shot, and the puck caromed off Dion Phaneuf's skate in the slot. But Anderson, moving the other way, gloved it anyway.
Not long after, Olli Maatta executed a smart shot pass to Bryan Rust in the slot. Again, Anderson was up to the task.
It appeared as though the Senators might have taken a 2-0 lead at 12:48 of the second period. Fredrik Claesson tried a wraparound attempt. Alexandre Burrows crashed in, whacking the puck past Fleury. The on-ice officials, however, determined that the whistle had blown before the puck crossed the goal line. Such a call is not reviewable.
The Penguins answered at 14:25 of the third period when Evgeni Malkin deflected a Kunitz feed while turning inside the inner-edge of the right circle, barely getting enough on the puck to steer it past Anderson.
Malkin's goal gave him nine goals and 25 points in 21 playoff games all-time against the Senators.
Phil Kessel nearly pushed the Penguins ahead with just under three minutes to go in regulation, but his shot from the high slot rang off the post behind Anderson.
The good news for the Penguins is that they have a recent template to dig out of this hole after doing something similar last year against Tampa Bay.
After a 3-1 loss in Game 1, Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to produce a 3-2 Penguins win three nights later.
