The Pittsburgh Penguins’ (7-11-2) simple, well-played first period evaporated later in the second period. The tight defending became turnovers and puck watching as the Ottawa Senators (13-6-2)m increasingly controlled the game.

The Penguins steadily lost ground and were not in contention despite the close score. Ottawa scored a couple of goals in the final five minutes, including the empty-netter for a 4-1 win at PPG Paints Arena Saturday.

Penguins coach Dan Muse again put rookie Sergei Murashov in net, his third start in four games. Murashov made several outstanding saves in the second period, but the Penguins’ breakdowns didn’t abate.

By the end of the second period, the Penguins were being outshot 17-12, but too many of Ottawa’s 17 shots were high-danger. By the third period, Ottawa solidly tilted the ice, and the Penguins never threatened. Ottawa suffocated the Penguins in the third with a 17-5 shot advantage.

The game was also the annual Penguins Hall of Fame game, in which the organization inducted Marc-Andre Fleury, former general manager Jim Rutherford, Hall of Fame defenseman Larry Murphy, and original owner Jack McGregor.

First-period shots: 7-7.

Second-period shots: 10-5 Ottawa.

Third-period shots: 17-5.

Penguins power play: 0-for-3. Ottawa PP: 0-for-1.

Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark remained undefeated in regulation against the Penguins and is 9-0-1 in his career. Murashov stopped 30 of 33.

Penguins Goal Recap

1-0?: It appeared the Penguins claimed a 1-0 lead when winger Tommy Novak‘s turning shot at the net front hit defenseman Jordan Spence and caromed into the net like a neatly placed bank shot, but upon a coach’s challenge, referees quickly determined that Egor Chinakhov was offside as he stepped into the zone before fully establishing control of the puck at 13: 22.

1-0 Penguins: Novak got his goal. After 10 minutes of largely irrelevant hockey by both teams, the Penguins found a spark in the final seconds of the first period. They won a couple of puck battles, and center Ben Kindel made a sharp breakout pass to spring Egor Chinakhov and Novak on a two-on-one. Chinakhov held to the last moment and attracted the attention before shoveling a backhand pass to Novak (8), who slammed the puck top shelf for the lead.

1-1: The Penguins’ conservative game briefly unraveled following a trio of alternating power plays. Penguins winger Connor Dewar‘s bad turnover on a breakout pass was instead directly to Ottawa’s Michael Amadio (7), who took a couple of strides before snapping it past Murashov at 8:41 of the second period.

2-1 Ottawa: After a couple of sterling saves by Murashov, the Penguins again left their goalie to face a second odd-man rush in less than a minute. The second was a breakaway as Claude Giroux had 50 feet alone on Murashov and beat the Penguins goalie with a backhand deke at 16:12 of the second period.

3-1: A stoppable shot, but after the onslaught in the third period, Tim Stutzle slipped a wrister past Murashov at 14:18.

4-1: Empty netter. Thomas Chabot.