Pinto scores twice as Senators pounce on Penguins early in a 5-0 win

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Shane Pinto scored two special teams goals in the first period, Leevi Merilainen stopped 30 shots and the Ottawa Senators beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 on Saturday.

Pinto beat Alex Nedeljokvic on the power play just over five minutes into the game and then added a shorthanded goal late in the opening period as the Senators won for the second time in their last eight games.

Tyler Kleven, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle also scored for the Senators. Claude Giroux added three assists and Ottawa earned its sixth straight win over Pittsburgh.

Nedeljokvic was pulled midway through the second half after stopping just 12 of the 17 shots he faced. Kleven’s goal 3:16 into the game on a shot from the point marked the 10th time this season the Penguins allowed a goal on an opponent’s initial shot.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan disputed the goal, claiming that Stutzle had interfered with Nedeljokvic. The call stood on review and Pinto doubled Ottawa’s lead on the ensuing power play with a single shot from the slot.

Pinto then scored just the second shorthanded goal allowed by the Penguins this season when he broke 2-on-1 with Thomas Chabot and fired a shot off the wrist of Nedeljokovic to make it 3-0.

The Penguins never recovered as they played their third straight game without center Evgeni Malkin, who is dealing with an upper-body injury.

Takeaway meals

Senators: Ottawa has struggled over the past two weeks, but found a way to do well against a team that has dominated lately as Merilainen posted the first shutout of his career.

Penguins: Two days after a stirring victory over Connor McDavid and Edmonton, Pittsburgh followed up with a clunker.

Key moment

Pinto’s short count with 55 seconds left in the first drew a collective groan from a nearly sold-out crowd that showed up to catch the Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads.

Key Statistics

15: the number of sanctions combined during a first irritable period.

Next

The Senators host Dallas on Sunday and the Penguins host Tampa Bay.

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