With deadlines having been eradicated due the fact Game 3 between the Penguins and Senators went into two overtimes, members of the media grumbled over the fact Senators center Colin Greening was not available to speak until nearly 1 a.m. earlier today. As it turned out he had a pretty good reason for being tardy.
Fiberglass.
He had pieces of fiberglass - small and large - embedded in his puffy left cheek due to an errant stick which struck him in the face during the early stages of what turned out to be a 2-1 win by the Senators thanks to his goal in the second overtime.
As hockey players tend to do, Greening downplayed the severity of the injury as well as his contributions to the important win.
Regardless of his humility, Greening's contributions to his team this series have been significant. He has been the only player in this series for either team to score in all three games and he played a big role in the Senators' success on the penalty kill the past two games.
Late last night this morning, Greening talked about his goal, his face and his play this series:
What happened on the goal?
“You always kind of dream of that growing up playing in the garage or something that you’ll be able to score an overtime goal in the playoffs. But to be honest, I have to give a lot of credit to [Senators forward Erik Condra] and [Senators defenseman Andre] Benoit. Condra made a great pass to Benoit. I got on net and luckily I was able to kind of shovel it under {Penguins goaltender Tomas Vokoun’s} arm."
Have you ever scored a bigger goal in your career?
“I can’t recall anything. It’s definitely up there. When it went in, I was overjoyed. Just given the situation, obviously if they win there, it’s 3-0 [in the series]. Now were at 2-1 with another game at home. You kind of put that perspective afterwards and you’re really happy for that."
What happened to your face?
"Unfortunately, I got a stick in the face. That’s why I was a little bit late getting out here. The doctors were just picking some fiberglass out of my face and they were sewing me up."
Were the pieces in your face when you scored?
“There was some small pieces. I had to come out of the game for I think it was five minutes or so and they picked out the big pieces.”
Did you have to get stitches?
"One internal and five outside."
When did it happen?
"It happened in the first or second period. I can’t recall. You play five periods, you lose track."
What do you recall on the game-tying goal by captain Daniel Alfredsson late in regulation?
“That was a great effort by Alfredsson. That really shows his leadership just to be able to do it on the ice and off the ice. That’s a huge goal for us … 30 seconds left. I guess because the identity of our team this year has been kind of the word ‘pesky,’ I guess we could use that word tonight.
How do you move on after this game?
"To be honest our coach in Binghamton [Ottawa’s AHL affiliate], he said something when we were in the playoff down there that resonated pretty well with me. He said, ‘Enjoy the win for the rest of the night until your head hits the pillow and then when you wake up tomorrow, it’s a whole new game.’ This is a good start for us. We have one more game at home and we want to take advantage of that."
How were you able to kill all six of the Penguins' power plays in Game 3?
"I think when you play a team numerous times, you start to learn their tendencies. With Pittsburgh, it’s hard to learn their tendencies because they have a lot of talent on their power play but there were certain things we had to critique from Game 1 that I believe we critiqued to Game 2 and there were even more things to learn [for Game 3]. We still have lots to learn in terms of the [penalty kill] but I thought we were successful tonight. To be honest, that’s what we’re going to need if we’re going if we’re going to be successful. Shut down their power play."
All wins carry the same weight on the scoreboard. Does this one have more weight from an emotional standpoint?
"If you look at the situation, we’re going into overtime. If we lose the game, we’re down, 3-0 which is tough to come back from in any series. We knew if we won the game, it’s 2-1. It’s a big swing there."
Why has your line with Condra and Jean-Gabriel Pageau been successful this series?
"I think it starts with myself and Condra. We’ve played with each other for three years now. He’s a really, really smart player. He makes smart plays. He’s good in the corners. If you look at the goal, he could have just thrown it on the net. But he made the play to Benoit to spread out the defense and that’s important. [Jean-Gabriel] Pageau, he’s stepped right in. It’s interesting with your first couple of games – I know I felt a little out kind of place when I first came out – Pageau came up … and played really, really well and he really hasn’t stopped since. He’s a great player. He gets to the soft spots really well. He’s gritty in the corners for his size. I think we just read off each other really well."
Having two days off between games is probably enjoyable after this game.
"I would agree with that. When you play almost five periods and you’re a little bit tired, you just want to take advantage of the time off. These two days off will help us recuperate and let guys get some treatment and get some fluids in. We’re looking forward to playing on Wednesday."
Why have you been able to get a goal in every game of this series thus far?
"I’m streaky when it comes to this type of stuff. I was just hoping to be good defensively. I find I take on different roles at certain points in the game. Luckily, I was able to kind of be the goal scorer tonight at the end. I’m happy to produce offensively. I consider myself to kind of to be a second-tier scorer. For us to be successful, I think guys like myself need to score."
Traffic on Route 65 will be reduced to one narrow lane in both directions starting tonight for a $6.3 million paving project. Starting at 8 p.m., inbound traffic will be crossed to the outbound side from Camp Horne Road in Emsworth to Locust Street in Avalon, with one 10-foot lane maintained in both directions. The restriction will be in place around the clock. Five miles of Route 65 will be resurfaced in Emsworth, Ben Avon, Avalon and Bellevue. The project is scheduled for completion late this year.