On Tuesday April 18th two juggernauts of the NHL’s Metropolitan Division were set to square off at Nationwide arena in Columbus Ohio. The Columbus Blue Jackets, down three games to none to the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, would have to be perfect. Before the puck was even dropped the Blue Jackets storied fifth line showed they were ready to do their part. The crowd got involved early and stayed involved all night.
April 18, 2017: Columbus Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner (38) scores against Pittsburgh during the third period in their game at Nationwide Arena Columbus, Ohio. Brent Clark/Pro Hockey News
Blue Jackets Coach John Tortorella shuffled his lineup, scratching Scott Hartnell and Scott Harrington in favor of Kyle Quincey and Markus Nutivaara as well as Lukas Sadlak. Tortorella had to try and fill the vacancy left by his top defenseman Zach Werenski who suffered facial fractures in the previous game. With both teams missing key pieces due to injuries, it seemed that sheer force of will would have to be the deciding factor.
The first period began with an explosion of offense from the Blue Jackets. Aside from a brief power play 20 seconds in for the Penguins, the first period was dominated by the Blue Jackets forecheck. In the early going both Marc-Andre Fleury and Sergei Bobrovsky were solid though Columbus was out hitting the Penguins and winning key battles down low.
Halfway through the first period the Blue Jackets blue collar work ethic finally paid off. Jack Johnson shot a lose puck at the cage off of Sidney Crosby’s skate, beating Fleury stick side, to put the Blue Jackets up by one. Soon after Josh Anderson made a strong power move to the net and beat Fleury five hole, to go up by two. By the end of the first, Columbus had out played Pittsburgh in every statistical category. The first was all Columbus.
The Penguins came out in the second period very much as they ad in the first, flat and sloppy. In the first few minutes, Pittsburgh was pressured and couldn’t break out of their zone. Five minutes in, the Pens had iced the puck four times. Eventually Nutivaara wristed a rebound past Fleury, giving the Jacks a 3-0 lead and Boone Jenner and Brandon Saad helpers on the goal. Thirty seconds later, Quincey would open the door for the Pens with a penalty on Evgeni Malkin in the neutral zone. The Pens went on the Power Play.
The Penguins came into the playoffs with one of the best power plays in the league and true to form Patrick Hornqvist scored half a minute in, with Sidney Crosby and Justin Schultz getting assists. Columbus followed suit with a power play of their own but without Zack Werenski they struggled to score. Nearing the end of the 2nd period, Ron Hainsey snuck a one timer past a screened Bobrovsky. Phil Kessel and Malkin both had helpers. Overall the second period was relatively even and the Pens closed the gap in hits and shots. Columbus held off a late rush and both teams retired to their respective locker rooms to catch their breath.
The Blue Jackets came out in the third period absolutely flying. Only 30 seconds in, William Karlsson got his own rebound off the end wall and backhanded it past Marc-Andre’s stick. A few minutes later the Penguins Tom Kuhnhackl beat Bobrovsky with a goal, helped by Matt Cullen and Ian Cole. Both teams followed with a series of odd man rushes eventually resulting in a Boone Jenner goal. Pittsburgh’s own Brandon Saad and Markus Nutivaara assisted.
With the Blue Jackets up 5-3 and only ten minutes remaining in regulation, coach Tortorella changed up the defense to a trap, attempting to lock down any scoring chances. The trap worked until the Penguins pulled their goalie, giving them an extra attacker. This resulted in a Jake Guentzel goal and with just seconds left the Penguins regrouped to make one more run at scoring. In the end, the Blue Jackets held them off and gave the home crowd their first playoff win in regulation.
[WATCH: All Blue Jackets vs. Penguins highlights | RELATED: Complete Columbus vs. Pittsburgh series coverage]
The Blue Jackets came into the game knowing they had to win, no matter what. The Penguins knew what was at stake and wanted leave Columbus with a sweep and rest up for the second round. Maybe the Blue Jackets wanted it more or maybe the injuries and fatigue finally caught up to the Penguins. Either way, these two teams have a second date on Thursday, and this time Pittsburgh will be on home ice with something to prove.
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