If you experienced last night’s game through push notifications or twitter, you’re waking up not too pleased. Columbus dropped another game, and are 0-3-1 in their last four. They didn’t score on the power play – again – yet were able to net a shorthanded goal? And, to make matters worse, they were down 4-0 with just over a minute into the third period. Not a lot to be happy about.
However, if you actually watched the game, you’re waking up pretty okay. Sure, being on the bad side of a 4-1 score isn’t fun, but the Blue Jackets played well. They really did. They just were unable to beat Matt Murray until Brandon Dubinsky’s shorthanded goal in the third period for the only tally of the game for Columbus.
Carter Rowney opened up the scoring in the first after Cam Atkinson lost the handle of the puck in front of Scott Wilson, who fed Rowney to give the Pens a 1-0 lead.
Columbus stood strong for the rest of the opening period and started to find their stride in the second until a pair of unlucky plays pushed the Pittsburgh lead to 3-0: a blocked shot off the stick of Seth Jones lead to a Patric Hornqvist goal and Brian Dumoulin connected on a wrap-around attempt only because he banked the puck off the skate of Atkinson.
The Blue Jackets fell off from their intensity a bit after that – understandably so – despite HCJT’s (is that a thing? I think I’m gonna make it a thing) attempt to challenge the play being offsides and, despite the play standing, it wasn’t a waste of a review.
The difference between a good goal and an offside call: pic.twitter.com/FKPBJnRczf
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) April 5, 2017
Thaaaaaat close. Personally, I think the puck barely stayed on-side, but I also don’t wear zebra stripes.
Pittsburgh finished off their scoring with a goal credited to Jake Guentzel but happened because Justin Schultz fired a puck into a traffic jam of four bodies in front of Sergei Bobrovsky to give the Pens a 4-0 lead.
The only real moment of glory for the Jackets tonight was a Brandon Dubinsky short-handed goal to put the Jackets on the scoreboard. It was sweet, don’t get me wrong, but hard to get excited about a goal that cuts the deficit to three.
Oh, and this hit was legit.
Scott Hartnell is always happy to see the Penguins pic.twitter.com/CAyCTouUNE
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) April 5, 2017
Feast upon that for a few hours when you have the time.
TL;DR: Obviously not a great result for the Jackets, but they still played pretty well in a hostile road environment in a playoff tune up. Pittsburgh seemed to get every break while Columbus is still in a bit of an offensive funk.