BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Jhonas Enroth admittedly felt a little rusty when he made his first appearance of the Calder Cup playoffs.

The form that allowed him to go 9-2-3 with the Buffalo Sabres this season was more evident Tuesday night in his second start and third postseason appearance with the Portland Pirates.

Enroth made 35 saves to help stop the Binghamton Senators 6-2 in Game 5 of their Calder Cup playoff series.

Enroth’s return created the second head-to-head battle between Swedish starting goalies in the series.

Binghamton had been sticking with Robin Lehner, the only goalie the Senators used in the last three games of the first round and the first four games of this series, until the Pirates knocked him out of the game Tuesday night.

“This was a big game for us,” Enroth said. “It shows what kind of chemistry we have in this group.”

Enroth stopped the first 14 shots while the Pirates took a 5-0 lead and the last 17 protecting it.

“My first game, I thought I was a little rusty,” said Enroth, who spent the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs as the backup in Buffalo, appearing only in Game 7. “This was different.”

Lehner played a big role in Binghamton having won 6 of 7 to rally from a 3-1 deficit against Manchester in the first round and take a 3-1 lead against the Pirates. He lasted just 14:29 of Game 5 before being replaced by Barry Brust after falling behind, 4-0.

“Robin has been awfully good since he got his net back,” Senators Coach Kurt Kleinendorst said after Lehner limited the Pirates to one goal in Game 4. “Barry Brust was wonderful for us all year long, but he had a little bit of an injury that took him out.

“Robin got an opportunity and right now, other than a little spurt at the beginning of the year, I haven’t seen Robin play like he’s been playing.”

The Pirates put an end to that hot streak early in Game 5.

It was the second straight game that a team pulled a goalie while trying to stop momentum in a game that was quickly turning into a blowout.

Enroth replaced David Leggio during the 6-1 loss in Game 4. He played the last 38:34, stopping 17 of 19 shots and gaining some importance confidence.

Enroth, a 22-year-old from Stockholm, and Lehner, a 19-year-old from Gothenburg, are second-round NHL draft picks who played for Sweden’s junior team in the world championships.

 

NOTES: Binghamton not only used both goalies but also pulled the goalie at one point in the second period.

When Pirates defenseman Alex Biega was called for interference with 2.3 seconds left, the Senators decided to go with an extra skater for a six-on-four advantage with an offensive faceoff coming to finish the period. Zack Smith won the faceoff back to Corey Locke, the American Hockey League scoring champion, but Colin Stuart of Portland blocked the shot, spoiling the strategy.

Mark Voakes returned to the Pirates’ lineup in place of Igor Gongalsky.

Voakes scored the team’s fifth goal, his third of the playoffs, early in the second period.

The 20 shots on goal by the Pirates in the first period were the most by either team in the series, topping the 18 by the Senators in the second period of Game 1. Tickets for Game 6 of the series can be purchased at the box office at the Cumberland County Civic Center, by calling 775-3458 or by visiting www.portlandpirates.com. Tuesday was the 33rd anniversary of the Maine Mariners advancing to the Calder Cup finals in their first season by beating the Nova Scotia Voyageurs, the two-time defending champions, 2-1 in Game 7 at the Civic Center. … The Pirates boarded their bus and headed home immediately after the game. The Senators spent the night at home before heading to Portland.

 

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