Ducks beat Sens to go up 3-1 in series

Ottawa Senators goaltender Ray Emery looks back as Senators left winger Antoine Vermette hangs Anaheim Ducks right winger Corey Perry up on the goal during the third period of Game 4 of the NHL championship series in Ottawa on Monday. The Ducks won 3-2. PHOTO: AP

Andy McDonald scored twice in the second period and Dustin Penner potted the winner in the final frame as Anaheim edged Ottawa 3-2 to move to within one victory of a NHL championship.

Penner snapped a tie 4:07 into the third as the Ducks took a 3-1 lead on Monday in the best-of-seven championship.

McDonald scored two goals and set up another and Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 21 saves for the Ducks, who can clinch the first Stanley Cup in franchise history today at the Anaheim arena.

"These games get more intense every game," Ducks rising star Ryan Getzlaf said. "It feels great to be up 3-1. We have a great opportunity now and hopefully we can go home and grasp the [Stanley Cup]."

Getting the puck just outside of the blue line, Teemu Selanne carried down the right side as a two-on-one situation arose inside the offensive zone.

Heading toward the net, Penner was able to easily knock Selanne's pass into a vacant net at 4:07 as goaltender Ray Emery couldn't recover in time.

"Brad May was making a line change and the puck was just inside our own blueline," the 24-year-old Penner said.

"Teemu kind of fed me coming off the bench; when I was in the middle of the ice, I gave it back to him, then just drove the net and he put it right on my tape and I had an open net to put it in."

It was the first goal for Penner since Game 3 of the quarter-finals against Vancouver -- a span of 12 games.

He recorded his first points since that contest against the Canucks on Saturday, when he notched a pair of assists.

"That line was huge for us," Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "It was a great game by Andy, Dustin and Teemu."

For the second time this post-season, Anaheim was able to survive without Norris Trophy finalist Chris Pronger, who was serving a one-game suspension for a high check on Ottawa's Dean McAmmond in Game 3.

The Ducks also posted a victory in game four of the semi-finals against Detroit as Pronger was banned from that contest for a blow to the head of Tomas Holmstrom in the previous game.

The Senators cashed in on a power play just before the first period ended to take the lead.

Peter Schaefer received the puck from Mike Fisher behind the net and quickly dished to captain Daniel Alfredsson, who fired it under the right arm of Giguere with 1.5 seconds remaining for his league-leading 12th goal of the postseason and a 1-0 edge.

The Ducks did not register their first shot of the game until the 11:25 mark.

The tide turned in the second period and McDonald was the main reason. After his chip shot from the doorstep hit the right elbow of the net at 2:48, McDonald evened the game at 10:06, just four seconds after Chris Neil's interference penalty expired.

It took McDonald just 60 seconds to put Anaheim ahead with his team-leading ninth playoff goal.

With no one standing in his path, McDonald slid a backhander between the pads of Emery at 11:06 for a 2-1 advantage.

"This game's over and we have to get ready for the next game," McDonald said. "I think the key will be in the first period for us. We came out, we didn't have a strong first tonight."

"Hopefully, we can use our fans in our own building to be a little bit extra motivated for that next game," he said. "And like I said, I'll enjoy it here for the next 10 minutes and start preparing for the next one."

Invisible over the first three games of the finals, Ottawa's Dany Heatley came through late in the period with the first even-strength goal of the series for Ottawa's No. 1 line and his second in 10 games.

Ottawa coach Bryan Murray knows his team has a daunting challenge in front of them.

"If we play like we did for two periods tonight, it's not very good," Murray said.

"Andy McDonald's goal, walking in and walking around our defense and the two-on-one goal," he said. "Those are not very good goals to give up at playoff time."