Mike Condon should entertain the idea of being a double agent - the entire Eastern Conference Finals could rest in his goaltender pads. The Ottawa Senators backup goalie has some experience playing for both teams competing for a Stanley Cup Finals berth right now. This playoff, however, he hasn't had much of an opportunity to take the ice; not until Sunday, that is, when his services were called upon.
Condon comes in at goalie
Incumbent goalie Craig Anderson struggled from the drop of the first puck on Sunday afternoon. After giving up four goals in the first quarter, Guy Boucher had seen enough.
He decided it was time for a change, much in the same way the Pittsburgh Penguins made a similar decision during this series. It was time for Condon to finally get his big moment of the playoffs and get the opportunity to rally Ottawa back into the game.
Except it didn't go that well. Condon was just as overmatched as his Senators teammate. In just over 40 minutes, he faced 22 shots, making 19 saves - which meant that the Penguins scored another three goals on their opponent. His save percentage was better than Anderson's, but their poor performance combined with a lack of offensive firepower resulted in a 7-0 loss. The loss put the Senators in a 3-2 series hole as the Eastern Conference Finals heads back to Ottawa.
Temporary goalie switch in Ottawa
In all likelihood, the goalie switch was not permanent for the Senators. Boucher was simply responding to the fact that his ride-or-die guy, Anderson, was having a poor night. Condon has been in the NHL since 2015, playing for the Montreal Canadiens and even the Penguins (for all of 20 minutes) before being traded to his current digs to assist in case Anderson needed more time to care for his cancer-stricken wife or Andrew Hammond needed more time to recover from his injury.
Perhaps the Senators can take some advice from their opponent, though. After some struggles, the Penguins decided to replace Marc-Andre Fleury in the net with Matt Murray. Judging by the shutout they pitched on Sunday, that proved to be a prudent and potentially season-changing decision. The difference, of course, is that arguably both of the Penguins' goalies are better than Anderson and Condon. One of the two will have to step up on Tuesday, however, or Ottawa will see a magical playoff run many couldn't predict come to an end just six victories short of the ultimate goal.
