Following the 1-0 defeat, MacArthur admitted the Senators knew they weren't going to sweep the defending Stanley Cup champs.
"We’re hockey players but we’re not that dumb, we knew we weren’t going to get four in a row," MacArthur said, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.
Through two games, the Senators have outshot the Penguins 58-57, showing that their 2-1 regular-season record against Pittsburgh wasn't a fluke.
So, while they won't win four games in a row, taking the series isn't out of the question for MacArthur's team.
After going on a series of rants on the Pittsburgh Penguins bench - with some of the heat directed toward Evgeni Malkin - during the second period, the sniper scored the game's lone goal to give the Penguins a 1-0 victory in Monday's Game 2.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins dominating possession in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final yet still unable to score, frustrations boiled over for Kessel in the second period, as he was visibly upset after basically every shift he took.
And he wasn't too happy with Evgeni Malkin for not moving the puck on one of those shifts.
Malkin wasn't happy, either, as only Chris Kunitz separated him from Kessel on the bench, so he heard the rant, whatever it was. The exchange led to head coach Mike Sullivan having a word with Malkin:
Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin verbally joust after a shift. Sullivan has to calm Geno down pic.twitter.com/KTuidhd9GO
Repeating as Stanley Cup champions is hard enough. Doing it without key contributors makes it even harder.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were dealt another couple of injury blows Monday, as Justin Schultz was lost to an apparent shoulder injury. Here's how it happened:
Rust went to the room, and neither he or Schultz were on the Pittsburgh bench as the second period began. There's no official word on their status.
The Penguins are already missing Kris Letang and Trevor Daley on defense, so Schultz's loss both for Game 2 and potentially longer is a huge one.
Schultz went into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final averaging 21:10 of ice time in the playoffs - tops on the team. He played only 3:40 before being hurt, and Mike Sullivan had no choice but to lean on his five remaining defenders.
Rust was clearly shaken up on the play, and after taking a few minutes on the bench to collect himself, he walked back to the team's dressing room where he remained, missing the rest of the opening period while also not returning for the start of the second.
Said evaluation includes the future of head coach Barry Trotz, who has been behind the bench since 2014-15, and whose contract includes one more season. MacLellan got the GM job in May 2014, making Trotz the only Capitals head coach he knows.
Khurshudyan writes that MacLellan had season-ending interviews with players Friday, and is meeting with each member of the coaching staff this week.
It'll be a week Wednesday since the Capitals were eliminated, turning in a dud at home in Game 7, a 2-0 loss. Another Presidents' Trophy-winning season down the drain, just like that. Washington remains unable to make it to the third round in the Alex Ovechkin era, which is remarkable.
It's hard to argue Trotz is the issue. This season, Washington ranked first in goals against, third in goals for, third on the power play, and seventh on the penalty kill.
However, those results didn't translate into the playoffs. Washington didn't play tight defense, and Braden Holtby suffered as a result. The Caps' playoff run ended with the team sporting a .904 save percentage, lowest among all clubs that advanced to the second round.
Like Ovechkin, Trotz has never made it past the second round in his lengthy coaching career, as Khurshudyan writes. The 54-year-old has a 20-19 record in the postseason with the Capitals, and is a career 39-50 in the playoffs.
Trotz won the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year last season. But in Washington, the first 82 games don't really matter much anymore. Only the ones that come after do.
The Vegas Golden Knights were not ready to take a gamble on Ben Bishop.
The newest member of the Dallas Stars joined Sportsnet's Hockey Central at Noon on Monday, where he admitted that while a deal was never close, there were some minor talks between his camp and the Golden Knights prior to inking a long-term deal with the Stars.
"There was some talk of it," Bishop said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "From what I heard, they were thinking younger and a different direction. They’re going to be a competitive team.
"I definitely would’ve thought of the option if it was there."
After acquiring his rights from the Los Angeles Kings, the Stars and Bishop agreed to a six-year, $29.5-million deal Friday.
At 30, Bishop wouldn't be terribly old as far as proven netminders in the league are concerned, so Vegas could be eyeing someone currently toiling as a backup or hoping to strike gold on the next big up-and-comer.
One thing is for sure - Bishop will be playing his next six years in Dallas, and the Stars are thrilled about that.
The president of the organizing committee for the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea is holding out hope that the NHL takes part.
"I don't think they made the final decision so far," Lee Hee-beom said Monday at a news conference in Paris, according to Jerome Pugmire of The Associated Press. "(There's) still room to discuss and negotiate."
Last month, the NHL announced its intent to forgo the 2018 Games, saying the overwhelming majority of its clubs are adamantly opposed to interrupting the season to go.
Lee met with IIHF president Rene Fasel at the World Championship on Monday.
"I had a very useful breakfast meeting with Rene Fasel this morning and I also met many ice hockey leaders in Europe," Lee said. "We totally agreed between IIHF and Pyeongchang organizing committee that we are in the same boat. We will cooperate with the IIHF to further develop the Olympic (hockey) venues."
He is prepared to resume discussions with the NHL, despite the league's stance.
"I'm ready to meet with their delegations wherever it is they say to do so," Lee said. "Very recently I met their delegation in Pyeongchang, not only the athletes' side, but also the labor union side. Not only in Pyeongchang, but also in New York. Nothing is concluded until the final conclusion is made."
And to be fair, it's one that more than a few hockey fans were asking after Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.
Ondrej Kase was the 205th overall draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks from the seventh round of the 2014 draft. So yeah, he's a been a bit of a bargain. Especially after Game 2 Sunday night when he buried a massive game-tying goal halfway through the second period, knotting the game against the Nashville Predators at 3-3.
The goal was the 21-year-old's first career playoff tally in only his fifth NHL postseason game. His progression from hockey obscurity (Czech Extraliga) to the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is staggering.
In 53 regular-season contests for the Ducks during the 2016-17 campaign, Kase managed a respectable five goals and 10 assists in 53 games. He's also spent some time developing in the AHL.
Over the past two seasons for the San Diego Gulls - Anaheim's AHL affiliate - Kase registered 14 goals and 12 assists across 39 regular-season games while adding five points in 12 playoff games.
His scoring caliber aside, Kase has been contributing in other areas, as well, owning a Corsi For rating of 61.29 percent in Game 2. However, according to Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle, Kase's speed and tempo are what make him effective.
" ... The one thing that’s been consistent with him, he’s been a type of Energizer bunny, can play with pace, can make plays in small areas, can create space for himself, and he’s not afraid to go into those areas," Carlyle said, according to Helene Elliot of the L.A. Times.
That's some high praise from a man known to be hard on his young players. If the rookie winger can maintain a consistent role in Carlyle's lineup, we should be learning a lot more about the Czech native in the coming days.
Following Kase's lead, the Ducks head to Nashville with the series all square at 1-1 with Game 3 set for Tuesday night from Bridgestone Arena.
No lead is safe against Anaheim in these playoffs.
The Ducks pulled off their fourth multi-goal comeback of the postseason Sunday night, overcoming an early 2-0 hole and then erasing a 3-2 deficit en route to a 5-3 victory over the Nashville Predators to even up the Western Conference Final at a game apiece.
It was the 14th multi-goal comeback among all teams in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, one shy of the record set in 2014.
Two of the Ducks' big comebacks came against the Oilers in the second round.
Anaheim snuffed out a 2-0 deficit in Game 4 against Edmonton, taking a 3-2 advantage on pair of goals from Ryan Getzlaf and one by Rickard Rakell. After Oilers forward Drake Caggiula tied it late in the third, Jakob Silfverberg potted the winner 45 seconds into overtime.
The Ducks then gave up three second-period goals in Game 5 to fall behind 3-0, but Getzlaf, Cam Fowler, and Rakell tallied late in the third, before Corey Perry notched the double-overtime winner.
Anaheim's first-round sweep of the Calgary Flames also featured a multi-goal comeback, as the Ducks overcame a 4-1 deficit in Game 3 with four unanswered tallies, including an overtime winner by Perry.
Technically, the Ducks actually have five multi-goal comebacks in the 2017 playoffs, although the fifth didn't result in a victory. They erased a 3-1 Oilers lead in Game 1 of their second-round matchup, tying the contest before Adam Larsson's late goal and Leon Draisaitl's empty-netter gave Edmonton the win.
The lesson for the Ducks' opponents here? Don't park the bus.
