Ottawa, ON -- (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal, adding an assist as the Pittsburgh Penguins scored three times in the third period en route to a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series from Scotiabank Place.

Marian Hossa posted a goal and two helpers while Maxime Talbot and Jordan Staal also tallied for the Penguins, who hold a dominating 3-0 series lead and will look to wrap up the series in Game 4 set for Wednesday in Ottawa.

Marc-Andre Fleury notched the victory with a 33-save effort.

"The third game of a series is always one of the most important," noted Fleury. "You can be up three games to none, or it can be two to one and be really close. So, obviously, this is a huge win for us."

Nick Foligno scored for the Senators, who fell despite welcoming back captain Daniel Alfredsson after he missed the first two games of the series with a knee injury.

"I felt okay tonight. I'm not 100 percent, but it's the playoffs," Alfredsson said. "I thought I could help the team get a win here tonight to get back in the series."

Martin Gerber allowed all four goals on 38 shots.

Crosby put the Penguins ahead only 12 seconds into the third period. He followed a bouncing puck down the left wing in the Ottawa zone, dipped by Sens forward Antoine Vermette, and tucked a shot through Gerber on the near side.

It was 3-1 for the visitors at 1:30 as Staal poked home a saucer pass from Tyler Kennedy. Kennedy had chased down a dump-in along the right-wing boards and found the youngster alone in front for the score.

Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead on the power play with 11:05 left in regulation as Hossa held his ground on a goalmouth scramble and tapped in a puck which squirted loose from beneath Gerber.

"I had the puck in my pads and then one of their guys pitchforks it out," Gerber said of the play. "I was upset about that and the slow whistle."

The Senators did not put up much of a fight from there, as the Pens outshot the home team 12-7 in the final 20 minutes and coasted to the commanding series advantage.

"We finished the second period really strong and that was our goal, to bring it to them in the third," Talbot said. "We're a good third period team and we proved it tonight."

Gerber was sharp in the first period, making 12 stops. He was brilliant on a late Penguins power play, stopping laser blasts from the slot by Ryan Malone and from the left circle by Evgeni Malkin.

Fleury was under siege at times from a rejuvenated Ottawa offense, and stopped 14 pucks in the scoreless stanza.

Foligno put the Sens on the board 1:11 into the second period. The son of former NHLer Mike Foligno notched his first career playoff goal by chipping a bouncing puck over Pens defenseman Ryan Whitney in the left circle, gaining control, and slipping a shot through Fleury.

Talbot tied the game at 5:39, taking a lead pass from Hossa and sliding a backhander between Gerber's pads.

Game Notes

The last time the Penguins enjoyed a 3-0 series advantage came in 2000, when the club topped the Capitals in a five-game Eastern Conference quarterfinal...Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders have recovered from a 3-0 series deficit in NHL playoff history...Penguins forward Gary Roberts did not play, after posting two goals in the first two games...Alfredsson skated in his 100th career playoff game but did not register a point...Pittsburgh has outscored Ottawa 7-1 in the third period in series.