Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference First Round Game Five – April 20, 2017
With the 5-4 victory this past Tuesday, where they thankfully held on, the Blue Jackets are living to fight another day. It’s still a tough climb, since they are only one loss away from elimination and the series is going back to Pittsburgh, but a win is a win.
It’s only their third postseason win all-time, and first in regulation.
The five goals were made by five different players – Jack Johnson and Josh Anderson put the first two points in the board, while Markus Nutivaara, William Karlsson, Boone Jenner, who scored the next three, also had one assist each.
Sergei Borbovsky, meanwhile, continued his struggles on containing the Penguins. He has 123 saves in the 139 shots he has faced in the matchup (.891 save percentage).
Columbus’s key offensive players in the regular season – Cam Atkinson (two goals) and Brandon Saad (one goal, two assists) – have remain as the team’s top point-getters in the playoffs.
The Penguins have now experienced trouble containing the Blue Jackets in back-to-back games. Over the last two, their defense has given up a total of nine goals.
As mentioned, though, the pressure is still on the opposition. The Pens are still comfortably ahead in the series, 3-1, and with Game 5 happening at their home ice, they are again in a fine position to close it out and advance. Pittsburgh is 31-6-4 at home this season.
Jake Guentzel, Ron Hainsey, Patric Hornqvist, and Tom Kuhnhackl each chipped in one goal, while the team’s eight assists were shared by five different guys. Veteran Phil Kessel, who had three, leads that pack.
Second-string goalie Marc-Andre Fleury will continue filling in for starter Matt Murray (lower body). He is 132-for-143 in the three games he has stepped in (.923 save percentage).
