COLUMBUS, Ohio – On Sunday, the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins scored early and often in the fist period to take a 3-1 lead after just 20 minutes of play with the Blue Jackets.
After languishing for much of the season, the Pens have rallied and put themselves atop the Metropolitan Division.
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
So their 5-2 win Sunday was just another step in the positive direction.
“It feels nice, but we know there’s a lot of the season left,” said Penguins forward Jake Guentzel,
Guentzel struck for goal and three points in the win.
“It’s huge for us when we have multiple lines contributing. It’s tough for other teams to match up,” Guentzel said,
Riley Sheahan added two goals in the win; Zach Aston-Reese and Brian Dumoulin added single markers in the win.
“When we got a three-goal lead like that early in game, it’s a dangerous lead,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “As much as we’re pushing our guys to pay attention to detail and stay on top of it, you’re fighting human nature to a certain extent.
“And give Columbus credit. They were fighting all night long. They’re a good team. They played hard, they put us under pressure.”
Tristan Jarry made 35 saves in picking up the win.
“They have a lot of offensive weapons,” Columbus’ Cam Atkinson said. “It’s tough chasing the game, especially against a team that’s so offensive-minded.”
Columbus has now dropped three straight games and are in danger of falling completely out of the playoff race; they sit one point back of the second wild card spot in the east and have two teams ahead of them vying for the same position on the ladder.
Columbus’ goals came from Artemi Panarin and Alexander Wennberg.
“We’ve got to get as many shots on net as possible,” the Blue Jackets’ Brandon Dubinsky said. “We have to do a better job of getting inside and getting some of those rebounds and tips. You saw that’s where they score their goals.”
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
[WATCH: All Penguins vs. Blue Jackets highlights]
Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves for the Jackets as they dropped to 29-25-5 on the season.
“They don’t shoot the puck just to try to take a shot. They create offense, a lot of deflections. They’re very smart. It’s very challenging to play against them,” Bobrovsky said after the loss.
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
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Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
Photo By: Brianna O’Mara
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