Ottawa's Anton Volchenkov scored one goal and assisted on another on Saturday as the Senators defeated Anaheim 5-3 to claw their way back into the NHL Stanley Cup finals.
Rallying three times from a one-goal deficit, the Senators won their first game in the best-of-seven National Hockey League championship series. Anaheim leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 in Ottawa today and Game 5 on Wednesday at Anaheim.
"It was a character game today because we came from behind a few times, but came back with timely goals," Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson said.
"We're obviously excited," Mike Fisher said. "We knew we'd get a boost being back home in front of our fans. Before the game we could hear them going nuts. We were confident, we knew we could put out a good effort and beat this team.
"We're on our way," he said. "We felt we played well tonight. We know how we can beat this team now."
The Senators, trying to become the first Canadian team to claim the trophy since Montreal in 1993, scored a pivotal goal just 27 seconds after Corey Perry had given the Ducks a 2-1 lead 5:20 into the second period.
Anaheim had only five players on the ice even though there was no penalty against them and the mistake proved costly when Ottawa won the draw, Volchenkov fired a shot and Fisher redirected it into the goal for the equalizer.
The Ducks, who had hoped to move within one triumph of claiming the Cup for the first time, took a 3-2 lead on Ryan Getzlaf's seventh goal of the playoffs at 7:38 of the third period.
But the Senators answered yet again with 3:36 remaining in the second period as Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson of Sweden netted a power play goal, his 11th tally of the playoffs.
Alfredsson's goal was allowed after a video review, after it was initially ruled he had redirected the puck past Giguere with his skate.
"I felt it was a goal all along," Alfredsson said. "I think from the ref's position, he thought it went off my skate. I don't think it was kicked. But to me it felt I never kicked the puck, never lifted my foot. I was confident it was going to be a goal."
Just 2:20 later, with only 86 seconds remaining in the second period, the Senators took the lead for the first time on Dean McAmmond's fifth goal of the playoffs. Ottawa ended the second period ahead 4-3.
Volchenkov scored 8:22 into the third period to double Ottawa's edge.
The Ducks pressed to get back into contention and delivered a dubious hit when Anaheim star Chris Pronger slammed his left elbow into the head of McAmmond, whose head struck the ice to send him off the ice for the remainder of the game.
"It was an elbow to the head," said Senators coach Bryan Murray. "I can't for the life of me understand how it was missed by four officials."
Anaheim's Andy McDonald opened the scoring 5:39 into the first period and Ottawa's Chris Neil answered 10:31 later.
Getzlaf said all the Ducks can do now is try to regroup for game four.
"They came out, they played hard," Getzlaf said.
"They are forechecking like crazy," he said. "And they gained momentum from each other and built on certain things. And we sat back and allowed them to do it."
"We didn't play well tonight, and we didn't play well enough to win," he added. "We had a chance to be in a hockey game tonight and we let it slip away."
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