After a boring scoreless first period in Ottawa, the Penguins and Senators lit up the scoreboard in the second period. It didn't take long, as the Sens scored the first goal of the game just 25 seconds into the period. That would be just the first of three goals on three consecutive shifts, as Pittsburgh and Ottawa went back and forth in just the first two minutes of the period.
Colin Greening was the Senator to strike first, beating Pittsburgh to the the front of the net to take a perfect centering pass from Jason Spezza. Just over a minute later, Arron Asham found Steve Sullivan to even it at one. Asham faked a hard slap shot from the right wing, instead putting a soft pass on Sullivan's stick as he streaked in front. Sullivan went top shelf to beat Alex Auld. Ottawa would re-take the lead just thirty seconds later, when the Pens failed to clear it from their zone. Erik Karlsson knocked down the bouncing puck at the blue line, fed it to Daniel Alfredsson in the corner who centered it to an open Spezza, who blew a slap shot by Brent Johnson from nearly point blank range.
The three goals in the first two minutes were just the beginning however, and set the pace for what would be an eight goal period. Alfredsson would make it a two goal lead for Ottawa 6:45 into the period, beating Johnson low by grabbing a loose puck off the boards and firing it through traffic in front. Spezza initially poked the puck off the boards to Alfredsson, giving him his third point of the period.
Steve Sullivan would match Spezza, however, with three points of his own in the period. Sullivan would assist on two power play goals in just over a minute of play, drawing the Pens even at 3-3. He found Matt Niskanen on the first power play, as Niskanen slammed home his second goal of the year. A minute later, Evgeni Malkin would notch his 12th of the season just eight seconds into the second power play, beating Alex Auld to make it 3-3. Malkin fired it from the high slot with Chris Kunitz providing the screen in front.
But at 3-3, Ottawa would yet again take another two goal lead before the period was out. A minute after Malkin's goal, Jared Cowen score his fourth of the season to give Ottawa the lead yet again at 4-3 on a flukey shot from the left board. Then, with less than 6 seconds remaining in the period, Zenon Konopka would score a power play goal for a 5-3 advantage. With five seconds left, that would be it for both teams, as the back-and-forth ended with 8 goals in twenty minutes. The Sens scored five goals on just 10 shots against Brent Johnson.
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