When the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets locked horns on April 4,the prevailing feeling was the game would serve as a preview for a first round playoff series between the two teams.<\/p>\n
It did.<\/p>\n
Although, the scoreboard read 4-1 for the Penguins, the Blue Jackets dominated for durations of play. They had the Penguins pinned in the defensive zone for extended periods of time, putting 40 shots on Matt Murray<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The score was more reflective of a\u00a0bad night for Sergei Bobrovsky<\/a><\/strong>, who has only allowed\u00a0four or more goals only ten times this season.<\/p>\n We now know that their 2017 first round series is guaranteed, and both teams can begin drafting battle plans.\u00a0The series is destined to be physically intense and entertaining.<\/p>\n When Pittsburgh and Columbus met in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, The Penguins were the heavy favourites. It was widely expected that the wild card Blue Jackets were going to be steam rolled by the Metropolitan Division Champions.<\/p>\n The Penguins had a lot to prove after being swept the previous season by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final. They had further pressure to maximize the potential of Evgeni Malkin<\/a><\/strong> and Sidney Crosby<\/a><\/strong> who were entering the prime of their respected careers.<\/p>\n The final result of the series ended in Pittsburgh\u2019s favor, with the Penguins winning the series four games to two. But with a twist of fate and a couple of lucky bounces, the Blue Jackets could have easily found themselves with a ticket punched to the second round and a visit to Madison Square Garden to meet the Rangers.<\/p>\n Here is a quick refresher of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2014 playoffs and their series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n Jack Johnson<\/a><\/strong> scored the first Columbus playoff\u00a0goal in five\u00a0years at 6:20 of the first period, as the Blue Jackets work towards building a 3-1 lead.The Penguins managed to rattle off three\u00a0unanswered goals, including Brandon Sutter<\/a><\/strong>‘s game winner at 8:18 of the third.<\/p>\n Special teams played a huge factor in the game as Columbus scored a power-play and a short-handed\u00a0goal, and the Penguins notched two\u00a0power-play markers.<\/p>\n Although Columbus lost, they proved that they would be able to roll with the Penguins and would be formidable opponents for the course of the series.<\/p>\n In a highly dramatic affair, it was Pittsburgh’s turn to build\u00a0and surrender a 3-1 lead. Johnson scored the game-tying at 13:59 of the third period. Matt Calvert<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0the scored the game-winning goal\u00a01:10 into the second OT period, after Marc-Andre Fleury<\/a><\/strong> misplayed the puck.<\/p>\n Special teams again dominated the story line as the Penguins scored a power-play\u00a0and a shorthanded goal. Columbus converted two\u00a0on power plays, and also added their second shorthanded tally of the series.<\/p>\n Another game, another 3-1 lead surrendered. This time the Penguins explode for three goals in a span of 2:53 in the third, with Jussi Jokinen<\/a>\u2019<\/strong>s goal at 8:03 standing as the game winner.<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets performed quite well, making the most of the chances they were given considering they managed to put 20 shots on Fleury.<\/p>\n The Penguins scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the first period by\u00a0Craig Adams<\/a>, Chris Kunitz<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0James Neal<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>But\u00a0slowly watched the lead deteriorate, allowing Brandon Dubinsky<\/a><\/strong> to score the game-tying goal\u00a0with 24 seconds left in the game.<\/p>\n The Blue Jackets carried the momentum into overtime, as Nick Foligno<\/a><\/strong> came up clutch for Columbus scoring the winner at 2:49 of the extra frame.<\/p>\n Game 5 marked the lowest scoring game of the series, and the only game not to end in an 4-3 result.<\/p>\nHistory of a Series – Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins 2014 Playoffs<\/h2>\n
Game 1 – April 16, 2014: \u201cSpecial Teams\u201d Penguins win 4-3<\/h3>\n
Game 2 – April 19, 2014: \u201cDouble OT\u201d Blue Jackets Win 4-3<\/h3>\n
Game 3 – April 21, 2014: \u201cNever Surrender\u201d Penguins Win 4-3<\/h3>\n
Game 4 – April 23, 2014: \u201cExtra Time\u201d Blue Jackets Win 4-3<\/h3>\n
Game 5 – April 26, 2014: \u201cBad Blood\u201d Penguins Win 3-1<\/h3>\n