SENATORS at PENGUINS
8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
Best-of-7 series is tied 3-3
PITTSBURGH -- The defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins have one last chance to reach the Stanley Cup Final for a second consecutive season. They are 0-7 in Game 7s after losing Game 6 on the road, as they did Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators avoided elimination with a 2-1 win, and with another victory would reach the Final for the first time since 2007.
The winner will host the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of the Final on Monday.
Here are 5 keys for Game 7:
1. More magic from Craig Anderson
The Senators admitted Anderson, who has allowed one goal in four of the six games during the series, was the difference in Game 6.
After giving up four goals on 14 shots and being pulled twice during Game 5, Anderson rebounded with 45 saves Tuesday. He was particularly impressive in the first two periods, when Ottawa was outshot 34-19.
If the Senators can't come out with a better effort early in Game 7, they could be forced to lean on Anderson again.
2. More of the same from Pittsburgh
The Penguins thought they did enough to advance to the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday, except score more than one goal.
The Penguins were pleased with their effort and will look to bring the same game Thursday. They outshot Ottawa 46-30 and held a 1-0 lead after Evgeni Malkin scored at 4:51 of the second period, but struggled to enter the offensive zone through the first half of the third. If the Penguins hope to advance, they will need to implement the same style without a letdown as the game progresses.
"As a team we're looking forward to this challenge," forward Carl Hagelin said. "I think we're an excited group."
3. Structured Senators
At times, Ottawa's 1-3-1 forecheck has seemed to make it virtually impossible for Pittsburgh to get through the neutral zone cleanly. However, that's been the case only for fleeting moments during the past two games.
The Senators could do themselves a favor by successfully implementing the defensive style that held the Penguins to one goal in each of the first three games of this series.
"We know what we have to do," defenseman Erik Karlsson said. "We know the expectations from ourselves."
4. Evgeni Malkin leading the way
Except for Anderson, Malkin probably was the best player on the ice in Game 6. Despite his effort, which led to a goal early in the second period, he felt he could have, and should have, done more.
Malkin quietly has been the Penguins' offensive leader throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His three assists in their 7-0 win in Game 5 were overlooked, which has been a theme during the past month.
The Penguins have noticed Malkin's contributions, however, and they'll look for him to have another effective performance Thursday.
5. Health of Patric Hornqvist and Justin Schultz
Hornqvist and Schultz, who each have been out with upper-body injuries, will be game-time decisions, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.
If even one of them returns, Pittsburgh's power play could be significantly bolstered. Hornqvist normally serves as the net-front presence on the top unit and Schultz usually quarterbacks it.
The Penguins struggled to create traffic around the Senators net in Game 6, which could be altered with Hornqvist's tendency to hound opposing goaltenders.
If Hornqvist does not play, forward Conor Sheary could return after he was a healthy scratch the past two games.
"I think we all have to be ready to play tonight," Sheary said.
Senators projected lineup
Zack Smith -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Mark Stone
Mike Hoffman -- Kyle Turris -- Tom Pyatt
Clarke MacArthur -- Derick Brassard -- Bobby Ryan
Ryan Dzingel -- Chris Kelly -- Viktor Stalberg
Marc Methot -- Erik Karlsson
Fredrik Claesson -- Chris Wideman
Craig Anderson
Scratched: Chris Neil, Colin White, Jyrki Jokipakka, Christopher DiDomenico, Ben Harpur, Chris Driedger, Tommy Wingels
Injured: Mark Borowiecki (lower body), Alexandre Burrows (leg)
Penguins projected lineup
Chris Kunitz -- Sidney Crosby -- Jake Guentzel
Scott Wilson -- Evgeni Malkin -- Phil Kessel
Bryan Rust -- Nick Bonino -- Carter Rowney
Carl Hagelin -- Matt Cullen -- Conor Sheary
Scratched: Josh Archibald, Oskar Sundqvist, Cameron Gaunce, Jean-Sebastien Dea, Derrick Pouliot, Daniel Sprong, Dominik Simon, David Warsofsky, Frank Corrado, Kevin Porter, Garrett Wilson, Tom Sestito, Tristan Jarry, Sean Maguire
Injured: Kris Letang (upper body), Justin Schultz (upper body), Patric Hornqvist (upper body), Bryan Rust (upper body), Tom Kuhnhackl (lower body), Chad Ruhwedel (concussion)
Status report
White will not play for the Senators. Coach Guy Boucher said either Wingels or Kelly would take his place. … Ruhwedel (concussion) skated in a yellow no-contact jersey Thursday. He is not expected to play in Game 7.
Who's hot
Ryan has six points (two goals, four assists) this series. … Malkin has four points (one goal, three assists) in his past two games. He leads the NHL with 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in the playoffs.
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