Pageau scores four, including winner, as Senators beat Rangers in double OT to lead series 2-0

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There is a saying in hockey that "all great games end 6-5."

It was said during the 1972 Summit Series and said again during the 1987 Canada Cup. But not, at least not yet, in 2017.

Unless, of course, you were a member of the family and were celebrating Saturday's remarkable four-goal performance by undersized centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau, known as the "Honey Badger" by his teammates for his utter fearlessness on the ice.

The Ottawa Senators, led by the 24-year-old local-born-and-raised Pageau, staged a truly remarkable third-period comeback to force the New York Rangers to overtime. It took two extra periods before Ottawa could claim a 6-5 victory after Pageau broke down the left side and, at 2:54 of the second extra period, beat New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist high to the glove side.

"Four goals – that's absolutely sick," said Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher. "Tying goal. Overtime goal. It couldn't happen to a better person."

"A special moment," said the little centre. "I'll remember this for the rest of my life."

For the Senators, it marked the fifth time in the postseason that a game went beyond regulation time – a total of seven extra periods of hockey in only eight matches.

It was not great hockey. An "ugly day" that required "ugly goals," Boucher conceded.

The afternoon match was at times crazy, at many times sloppy, a few times dreadful and just as many times exciting, especially in the chaotic, scrambling overtime periods. Apart from the extra time, the game was, strangely enough, played more like a carefree exhibition preseason game than a Stanley Cup playoff game, with the players seemingly uncertain, the goalies equal times brilliant and flawed.

"It probably wasn't the best executed game," said Ottawa defenceman Dion Phaneuf, in an understatement. "We dug ourselves a hole and we found our way out of it. We got lucky."

The Senators could hardly have asked for a better setting in which to play this Saturday afternoon contest. Already up one game to none in their Eastern Conference semi-final against the Rangers, they had a military jet flyover to welcome them, a coach spreading fake news to inspire them – that they were the underdogs, that every available expert had predicted a four-game sweep by the Rangers – and, finally, a pumped, sellout crowd to cheer their every move.

But what they truly could have used was a few fewer power plays.

The Rangers scored two – repeat, two – shorthanded goals. The Senators could barely muster a few shots on goal, let alone threaten, with the man advantage. They were down two goals three different times, yet somehow came back to win and take a two-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 will be Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

In a repeat of Game 6 against the Boston Bruins, the Senators again began a match with three straight power plays. Again they sputtered badly, managing not a single shot on Lundqvist.

The Rangers, however, did get a shot on Ottawa's Craig Anderson when, shorthanded, winger Jesper Fast picked up a puck that had been fumbled at the New York blueline by Ottawa's Mark Stone. Fast raced down the ice, threaded a perfect pass over to Michael Grabner and Grabner had an empty net in which to deposit his third goal of the playoffs.

"I made a terrible play," Stone confessed.

It would be a kindness to describe Ottawa's play in the opening frame as sloppy. It must have been a nightmare for head coach/controller Guy Boucher to watch his players miscue, fumble pucks and even fall down with no one around them.

Fortunately for the Senators, the Rangers also had mental cramps, the worst coming with defenseman Dan Girardi, usually the definition of dependent, blindly swatted a puck across to the far boards, where little Ottawa's Pageau picked up the gift, skated in and fired a hard wrist shot past Lundqvist on the short side. An unassisted goal, and Pageau's second of the postseason.

If Lundquist's goaltending had been the story of Game 1 – even in a 2-1 loss – this was not this day. Challenged by 43 shots in Game 1, he faced but 34 shots in this match, even with the extra playing time.

As for Anderson, who faced 48 shots, he was at times as sensational as Lundqvist had been in the opening match. Early in the second period, he stole a sure goal from Oscar Lindberg on what appeared to be a simple tap-in.

Then, during a Rangers power play, he stopped what appeared to be an even better chance by J.T. Miller on a rebound. The frustrated Miller skated to the boards and hammered his stick on the glass while the crowd chanted "Andy! Andy! Andy!"

New York went ahead just past the halfway point when forward Chris Kreider spun with the puck along the left boards and fired what appeared to be a soft shot toward the Ottawa goal. Somehow, the puck found its way past a screened Anderson for Kreider's first of the postseason.

The Rangers went up 3-1 courtesy of another dreadful Ottawa power play when lanky Rick Nash sent Derek Stepan down the right side, and Stepan beat Anderson with a wrist shot to the glove side. It was Stepan's second goal of the playoffs.

Less than a minute later, with the teams playing four skaters aside, speedy Mike Hoffman carried the puck down the ice and tried to force himself into Lundqvist's crease. Lundqvist stopped the puck but the rebound was left sitting for Ottawa defenceman Marc Methot to punch in, for his first goal of the playoffs.

Another two minutes and New York was up 4-2 when a Brady Skjel shot from the point slipped behind a heavily-screened Anderson.

Ottawa's Clarke MacArthur, who missed virtually all of the previous two seasons with concussion symptoms, left the game in the second period and did not return. His "upper body" injury is not believed to be head related.

The game proved totally unpredictable in the third period. Less than two minutes in, a point shot by Ottawa's Phaneuf slapped off the backboards and rebounded out between Lundqvist's legs to the stick of Stone, who simply popped the puck into the net for his second of the playoffs.

Shortly after, Skjel scored his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs on a wrist shot that somehow found its way under Anderson to restore the Rangers' two-goal lead.

It seemed the end was nigh, lacking only a buzzer to confirm matters.

But then, with barely three minutes left, Pageau tipped a long Zack Smith shot past Lundqvist to bring the Senators within one.

With a minute and a half left, Boucher gambled and pulled Anderson for the extra attacker. Ottawa gained the New York zone, captain Erik Karlsson sent the puck across to Kyle Turris and Turris one-timed a slapshot that, again, Pageau tipped into the net.

Hats rained down onto the ice. Overtime loomed.

"You just never know," Anderson said.

Less than 23 minutes later, everyone did know. The Senators had somehow won and J-P Pageau, the local kid, was now the local hero.

"He definitely was a big man today," Boucher said.