PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh PA – The Pittsburgh Penguins enter game 5 against the Columbus Blue Jackets as the best regular season home team in the NHL. The Blue Jackets, facing elimination, would have win without their captain Nick Foligno who was 
a late scratch.
Both teams started strong in the first and traded scoring chances early.  Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre FLeury had to make a number of excellent saves to keep things even.   Columbus implemented the 1-2-2 trap that had served them well late in game four and it proved effective  until Sam Gagner got caught holding Brian Dumoulin putting the Pens on the power play.
Thirty seconds into the power play, Phil Kessel tickled the twine on a wrister past Bobrovsky’s blocker.  Justin Schultz and Evgeni Malkin got helpers on the goal. The Penguins maintained control of the puck and kept pressure on the Blue Jackets. The Jackets countered with several good scoring chances of their own but closed out the first still down 1-0.
The second began with a clean faceoff win and three quality scoring chances by Josh Anderson of Columbus. Soon after, Brian Rust cleaned up a rebound on Kessel’s wrister, burying it. Both Kessel and Malkin got helpers. A minute or so later, Rust would get his own rebound and score again giving the Pens a 3-0 lead and Ron Hainsey the assist.
The Blue Jackets, showing some frustration, put the Pens on a power play when Andersen cross-checked Malkin. Bobrovski was strong and the Jackets penalty kill (PK) kept the Pens rom scoring. Â Building off the momentum from the PK, William Karlsson scored, assisted by Gagner, putting Columbus on the board.
The Jackets 4th line kept pressing which sent Daly to the sin bin for holding, giving the Jackets a power play. Boone Jenner knocked a puck out of the air just below the cross bar, cutting the Pens lead to 1 point. Seth Jones and Cam Atkinson got the helpers on the goal.
The Penguins and Jackets would both get power plays late in the second, including a brief 4 on 4 but the score remained 3-2 Pens, heading into the third period.
Columbus out hit the Penguins all game but still trailed due to a strong Penguins power play and good puck management. Coach Sullivan said “this series has been all about momentum” and the Penguins seemed to have it going into the third.
Just four minutes into the third, the Penguins found themselves on the power play again, after Alexander Wennberg ran Fleury. Then Crosby buried one from an impossible angle, over Bobrovskys’ glove, putting the Pens up 4-2. Malkin and Kessel both assisted on the goal. A couple minutes later Trevor Daley ripped a one timer and Scott Wilson grabbed the rebound scoring on a no-look backhander, making it 5-2 Pens.
Halfway through the final period, Columbus went on a power play when Jake Geuntzel was caught hooking Brandon Dubinsky. Unfortunately the Jackets failed to capitalize. Fleury played perhaps his best period all series, stopping a number of excellent shots and the Penguins hung on to beat the Blue Jackets. After the game, speaking about Fleury’s play, Crosby said “he was tested a lot and he was our best player today”.
The Penguins continue to play their best hockey at home, but will have to step it up on the road if they hope to make it past the second round.
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