Greening's OT goal gives Senators a shot

OTTAWA -- Colin Greening was the only Ottawa Senators regular not to pick up a point in the team's five-game, opening-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.

He's making up for lost time now.

Greening's third goal in three games at 7:39 of double overtime gave the Senators a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on a drama-filled Sunday at Scotiabank Place that pushed Ottawa right back into the Eastern Conference final.

Pittsburgh's lead in the best-of-seven series is now 2-1, with Game 4 Wednesday in Ottawa.

"I'm streaky when it comes to this kind of stuff," said Greening -- a left winger who had just eight goals 47 regular-season games -- while blood drifted from his swollen left cheek, the result of a high stick earlier in the night. "I was just hoping to be good defensively. ...

"I find I take on different roles in the game. Luckily I was able to be the goal-scorer tonight at the end."

Greening ended proceedings by batting home a rebound after Tomas Vokoun made the initial save off defenseman Andre Benoit.

"First shot was a high shot, and as soon as the puck hit the ice, he kind of whacked at it," said Vokoun, who made 46 saves. "It went in the net. That's about it.

"It's frustrating, but it's one game. We can't worry about one game or one bad play. You can't let that get you down. In three days, we have another day. Obviously it doesn't feel good right now, and we should have closed it out, but it is what it is."

The Senators were facing defeat when captain Daniel Alfredsson scored a short-handed goal with 28.6 seconds left in regulation time to extend the evening.

Pittsburgh established a lead with a goal by Tyler Kennedy at 18:53 of the second period. It was the only shot to beat Craig Anderson, who was sensational in making 49 saves after being yanked in the second period of Game 2.

"I think for us, we're building some confidence," said Anderson. "We felt like we were doing a lot of good things throughout this series, and we feel like we got rewarded. So we just have to continue with that and keep building on the confidence from tonight. Keep doing the little things that make a difference in the game."

The high-power Pittsburgh power play had six chances to put Game 3 one out of reach, including a 5-on-3 advantage for 59 seconds in the second period. However, the Senators' penalty killers, led by Anderson, were successful in shutting it down.

"It's frustrating, but the chances were there," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who was stopped by Anderson on a second-period breakaway. "We either missed the net or the puck bounced on us. That's hockey. It's a tight game, and you expect everyone to be at their best at this time of year. We have to find a way to execute that. We have a lot of pride in that. It wasn't a lack of effort or lack of chances. It happens. I'm confident if we get those same chances in every game, they're going to go in."

The Senators received an emotional boost with the return of top center Jason Spezza, who was playing his first game following a four-month layoff after back surgery. He had 18:40 of ice time and, while coach Paul MacLean praised his performance, he added that Spezza "will only get better."

NOTES: Crosby entered the game tied for the league lead with six postseason goals, but he had a face-off winning rate of just 46.4 percent. Asked if the football style facemask he wears to protect his mending broken jaw bothers him on draws, Crosby deadpanned, "No. That's me." ... The return of Spezza to the Ottawa lineup meant F Guillaume Latendresse was once again relegated to a seat in the press box. A pending unrestricted free agent, Latendresse has been a healthy scratch for five of the past six games. ... Senators D Eric Gryba remained out of the lineup recovering from the upper-body injury he suffered in a Game 1 hit by Penguins D Brooks Orpik. Andre Benoit took his spot for the second game in a row. ... The Penguins replaced D Deryk Engelland with Mark Eaton and F Joe Vitale with Tanner Glass ... The 15:37 of ice time Karlsson played in Game 2 was his lowest total ever for a playoff contest and the sixth lowest of the 2011-12 Norris Trophy winner's career. He was on the ice for a game-high 39:48 Sunday.