There are many varied ways to interpret and analyze the Ottawa Senators’ 5–3 Game 3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks Saturday night. Without question, every critical break went the Senators’ way, from a controversial call by the off-ice video replay officials to the suspension of Ducks star Chris Pronger for Game 4. The Senators now find themselves with a golden opportunity to even the series tonight in Ottawa.

First and foremost, the goal controversy — should it in fact prove to be the turning point in the series — will become fodder for conspiracy theorists from coast to coast for years to come.

Late in the second period of Game 3, Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson directed the puck into the Ducks’ goal with a deliberate kicking motion, and the tally was immediately waved off by the referee. But the video replay officials inexplicably determined that there was sufficient evidence to overturn the on-ice ruling, and Alfredsson’s game-tying goal turned out to be the turning point in Ottawa’s favor.

Without question, Alfredsson’s was a far more egregious kicking motion than Karel Rachunek’s (the Rangers defenseman whose goal was overturned in their second round series with the Buffalo Sabres). And yet, the officials somehow made the exact opposite call.

“Do we trust the people making the decisions on these goals?” questioned NBC analyst Brett Hull during the second intermission of Saturday’s game.

Indeed, by making the enforcement of this rule — “A goal cannot be scored by an attacking player who deliberately bats the puck with any part of his body across the goal line” — so arbitrary and capricious, the NHL is putting the integrity of its on-ice results in serious doubt.

But even excepting for the Sens’ good fortune, the fact remains that they delivered a much stronger performance in Game 3, one that finally befitted their place in the NHL’s championship round.

For the first time in this series, the Senators took the play to the Ducks, controlling the puck for long stretches in the offensive zone and responding in kind to their opponents’ tough physical play. When the Ducks made mental errors — of which there were many — the Sens pounced with the killer instinct they’d demonstrated regularly in the three series victories that got them this far.

Early in the second period of Game 3, with his team leading 2–1, Ducks forward Travis Moen failed to join his linemates on the ice for a defensive zone faceoff, leaving them one too many short. Senators center Mike Fisher won the draw and sent the puck back to point man Anton Volchenkov, then crashed the net and deflected Volchenkov’s shot past Jean-Sebastien Giguere to even the score.

The Anaheim bruisers demonstrated an appalling lack of discipline, particularly after the Senators took the lead late in the second period, and they’ve now officially cemented their status as the “heels” in this series.

With the Sens holding a precarious 4–3 lead early in the third period, Dean McAmmond skated into the Ducks’ zone and fired the puck at Giguere. Pronger then stepped up and delivered a vicious forearm shiver to McAmmond’s head, sending the Ottawa forward sprawling to the ice and sliding into the boards. The hit didn’t earn Pronger a penalty, but he has been suspended for Game 4.

Pronger was already suspended once in these playoffs, for a savage hit to the head of Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom during the Western Conference Finals. Pronger’s history of violence likely forced NHL head of discipline Colin Campbell’s hand, but he still found it extremely difficult to make the decision to suspend the Ducks’ hard-hitting blueliner.

“This one took a lot of thought,” Campbell said at a news conference yesterday. “It wasn’t an easy one. It didn’t jump out at us right away.”

It would seem on the surface that the Pronger suspension will make things much easier for the Senators in Game 4, but it’s worth pointing out that the Ducks’ star defenseman was actually more of a liability than a help to his team on Saturday night. In addition to his ill-advised hit on McAmmond, Pronger was also victimized on the two scoring plays that secured Ottawa’s victory.

On the Sens’ fourth goal, a McAmmond centering pass deflected off Pronger’s stick and past Giguere. And on their fifth tally, Antoine Vermette centered a pass between Pronger’s legs to a wideopen Volchenkov, who buried the puck to give the Sens a commanding two-goal lead.

Making matters worse, the Ducks took four penalties in the third period, and the considerable time spent shorthanded crippled their attempt at a comeback.

“It’s disappointing that we lost our discipline,” said Ducks forward Todd Marchant. “For whatever reason, it just seems like whenever we get a couple calls against us, we end up taking three or four penalties in a row. You’re not going to win many hockey games when you have to kill that many penalties when you’re down by a goal in the third period.”

However, even with all of the odds stacked against them, the Ducks managed to keep the game close. And Anaheim head coach Randy Carlyle considered that to be the silver lining in the cloud.

“Obviously, the frustration level showed in our group into the third period,” Carlyle said. “But we have to take responsibility for our actions, and we played nowhere near to our capabilities. And discipline was an issue. Amazingly enough, as poorly as I thought we played in the game, we still had a chance.”

Regardless of whether the Senators’ win is chalked up to good fortune or improved play, one thing is certain: a second consecutive win in tonight’s Game 4 would mean that they’ve officially gained control of the series. But considering that their second, third, and fourth goals in Game 3 were all flukes — and that they ‘ll get to face a Pronger-less Ducks team tonight — it’s fair to say that Ottawa has a long way to go before they can legitimately be considered the better team.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.