Pittsburgh Penguins James Neal confident of comeback against Ottawa Senators – NHL Playoffs Update
Fingers are certainly being pointed at one of Pittsburgh’s top scorers, James Neal, who is known to be a 40-goal scorer, but is yet to pot his second ever since the 2013 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs kicked off.
He made his first in a relatively easy series against the New York Islanders, who were making their first appearance in the playoffs after many, many years, but his real test is now, against the Ottawa Senators.
“You can't get frustrated,” Neal said after practice Tuesday, according to NHL.com. “It's fun to be in the playoffs, it's fun to be playing hockey every day, so you've got to enjoy this. If you don't, it all goes fast. I think when you stay upbeat and stay
excited and stay happy, goals and points and that kind of stuff will come. With the team being successful, everything's all right.”
In the shortened 56-game season, Neal was definitely not behind any of his teammates as the 25-year-old potted 21 goals and 15 assists in 40 appearances for a total of 36 points and a plus-minus rating of five.
At the moment, the Pittsburgh Penguins lead the series against Ottawa 2-1, but if players like James Neal do not step up their game, fans are worried that it will not take long for a team like the Senators to make a major comeback. He is slowly increasing
the number of shots he takes on the opposing net and hopes one will achieve contact sooner or later.
“If you're getting shots, you're putting yourself in the right position,” Neal added. “For me, I try to use my shot as much as possible, but it's tough to get those good scoring chances. They're boxing you out, they're coming hard at you, they're not giving
you much room.”
Some experts even suggest Neal may still be struggling due to the injury that kept him out of Game 2 and 3 in the previous round, but the youngster is not putting his worries on that anytime soon.
Game 3 against Senators was a loss for the Penguins but they will surely attempt to make things right when they meet up again for Game 4 in Ottawa on Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET.
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