NHL - Playoffs - Round 1 - Pittsburgh Pengiuns vs Columbus Blue Jackets - Pens Win Series 4-1

Game 1 - Wednesday, April 12, 2017 - Pens Win 3-1

Less than a half hour before puck drop, Marc-Andre Fleury didn't expect to start Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins. But Fleury did start, and he made 31 saves for a 3-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets to open the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG Paints Arena. Matt Murray, who won 15 games last postseason when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, was going to start but was injured during warmups. Murray was scratched, and Tristan Jarry became the backup. Fleury won a Stanley Cup Playoff game for the first time since April 18, 2015, when he made 23 saves in a 4-3 win against the New York Rangers. He appeared in his 101st playoff game, which tied Tom Barrasso for the most by a Penguins goalie. Shortly after becoming the starter, Fleury stopped all of the Blue Jackets' 16 shots in the first period. The Penguins had three first-period shots. Bryan Rust gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 1:15 of the second period. Evgeni Malkin crossed the blue line before passing to Phil Kessel, who used his skate to direct the puck to Rust for a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky's blocker. Kessel made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 3:45. Malkin had two assists in his first game after missing 13 with an upper-body injury believed to be to his shoulder. Nick Bonino extended the lead to 3-0 at 16:25. After Olli Maatta sent a stretch pass off the end boards behind the Columbus goal, Bonino retrieved the puck and dumped it to Patric Hornqvist, who shot off Bobrovsky. Bonino got to the rebound and wrapped a shot around the goalie.

Matt Calvert made it 3-1 at 12:41 of the third period.

* After receiving a pass from Justin Schultz, Kessel held the puck for a few seconds while drifting toward the middle of the left circle. He then shot past defenseman Scott Harrington for Pittsburgh's second goal in 2:30.

* Bobrovsky kept the Penguins from taking a 3-0 lead when Kessel had a breakaway in the second period. Kessel drove toward the crease before going forehand to backhand, but Bobrovsky made a sprawling blocker save at 6:17.

* Rust's goal gave the Penguins a lead despite being outshot 16-4 through the first 21:15. Pittsburgh outshot Columbus 16-4 in the second period.

* After the first period, the Penguins' fourth-line effectively neutralized the Blue Jackets' attack. Forward Carter Rowney was at the forefront with six hits, which led Pittsburgh.

* Sullivan said he expected more information on Murray on Thursday. … Penguins defenseman Ron Hainsey played his first Stanley Cup Playoff game after playing 907 regular-season games in 14 NHL seasons. Hainsey had two blocked shots in 19:25. … Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski returned from missing four games with an upper-body injury. He played 25:19, which was third on the Blue Jackets.

"I think we didn't play a good first 20 minutes. After, we played our game. I mean, we used our speed. … We scored the first goal, and after we felt so much better." Evgeni Malkin
"I just tried to approach it as a regular game. It was fun. It's been a while. I was a little nervous in the beginning, maybe from not expecting it. The guys did a great job in front of me too, all game long, blocking shots and taking rebounds away. At the end, it was a great feeling." Fleury said.

"The fact that we have [Fleury] and Matt, I think gives us a comfort level, because we know they're both No. 1 goalies. I said to these guys all along, 'I need both of you.' It's just the way the game is." Mike Sullivan said

Game 2 - Friday, April 14, 2017 - Pens Win 4-1

For more than a decade, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury have been at the forefront of Pittsburgh Penguins victories in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were again in Game 2. Crosby had three points, and Fleury made 39 saves to help the Penguins defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG Paints Arena. Crosby scored his 50th Stanley Cup Playoff goal in the first period before assisting on goals by Jake Guentzel in the second and Evgeni Malkin in the third. Pittsburgh leads the best-of-7 series 2-0.

Game 3 is Sunday at Columbus. The Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins 8-0 before Crosby's goal at 8:31 of the first period. Fleury allowed one goal in each of two starts in place of goalie Matt Murray, who is recovering from a lower-body injury sustained during warmups before Game 1 on Wednesday, a 3-1 win. Fleury has 55 playoff wins but won consecutive postseason starts for the first time since three straight victories against the New York Rangers from May 4-7, 2014. Crosby gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead after goalie Sergei Bobrovsky turned behind his net to retrieve the puck. Pittsburgh forward Conor Sheary dashed to the end boards to force a turnover and passed to Guentzel out front. Guentzel kicked the puck to his stick before passing to Crosby, who scored before Bobrovsky could recover. Columbus forward Brandon Saad, who was benched in the third period of Game 1, tied it 1-1 at 7:00 of the second period. Guentzel gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead 51 seconds later. Malkin scored to make it 3-1 at 2:01 of the third period. It was his first goal since returning after missing the final 13 games of the regular season with an upper-body injury; he had two assists in Game 1. Patric Hornqvist made it 4-1 on an empty-net goal with 46 seconds left.

* Crosby drove into the Columbus zone on a 2-on-1 with Guentzel facing defenseman Gabriel Carlsson. Crosby passed through Carlsson to Guentzel, who shot past a sliding Bobrovsky.

* Fleury preserved a 3-1 lead midway through the third period by denying Saad on a breakaway. Saad went to his backhand, but Fleury absorbed the shot with 9:17 left.

* Bobrovsky temporarily kept the Penguins from extending their lead in the final minute of the second period after Crosby stripped Zach Werenski of the puck behind the net during a penalty kill. Bobrovsky tracked Crosby and made scrambling save on his backhand with 27 seconds remaining.

* Penguins defenseman Ian Cole entered a scrum as the second period ended and drew a roughing call on Brandon Dubinsky. Malkin scored Pittsburgh's third goal one second after the power play expired.

* Bobrovsky has allowed 19 goals in six straight losses (0-6-0). He last won March 28, when he made 41 saves against the Buffalo Sabres. … Crosby has 50 goals in 126 playoff games. He, Mario Lemieux (76) and Jaromir Jagr (65) are the only players to score that many for the Penguins. … Fleury played his 102nd playoff game, one more than Tom Barrasso for the most by a Penguins goalie. Fleury's 55 wins are one behind Barrasso for the Penguins record.

"They're three really good players [the Guentzel-Crosby-Sheary line]. I think they play the game with a lot of courage. They go to the battle areas. They have great hockey sense and they're quick. They're hard to defend." Mike Sullivan said.
"It just comes down to execution. If you execute, you make that little pass or that 10-foot pass, or you're able to beat that guy, then there's a chance to be had. So, I thought we did a better job as a group of doing that." Crosby said.
"I was more comfortable, more relaxed [than in Game 1]. [Knowing I was going to start] is always a good thing. It's fun when you're home and get that much support from the crowd." Fleury said.

Game 3 - Sunday, April 16, 2017 - Pens Win 5-4 OT

Jake Guentzel scored his third goal of the game 13:10 into overtime to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 5-4 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Nationwide Arena. Guentzel became the first Pittsburgh rookie to score a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when he beat goalie Sergei Bobrovsky off a pass from Sidney Crosby from behind the net for his fourth goal of the postseason. The Penguins trailed 3-1 after the first period, but Bryan Rust (5:21) and Evgeni Malkin (13:25) each scored in the second to tie it 3-3, and Guentzel scored his second of the night to make it 4-3 at 11:48 of the third. Brandon Dubinsky scored off the rebound of a Jack Johnson shot to tie it 4-4 with 4:49 left in the third. Cam Atkinson scored 11 seconds into the game to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. It was the fastest goal in a playoff game in Blue Jackets history. Guentzel tied it 1-1 at 3:17, but Atkinson beat goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with a backhand at 5:02 for a 2-1 lead. Werenski made it 3-1 when he scored a power-play goal from the top of the left faceoff circle at 6:10 of the first. Werenski did not play in overtime after he was hit below his right eye with a shot by Penguins forward Phil Kessel at 13:15 of the second period, 10 seconds before Malkin scored. Werenski returned to play seven shifts in the third period. Bobrovsky made 42 saves, and Fleury made 33.

* The Blue Jackets gave Crosby just enough space behind the net, and he made them pay with the pass to Guentzel for the overtime goal. "[Guentzel] made a great play to pop out and get away from his check and find an opening. It squeezed in there between the posts," Crosby said.

* Fleury robbed Dubinsky at 6:57 of overtime with a save off his mask. Fleury first made a save on a Josh Anderson shot from the left circle. The rebound rolled to Dubinsky on the right side, and he had an open net before Fleury recovered. "It was a lot of ground to cover, and I tried to get there as quickly as possible. I was happy to use my head on this one," Fleury said.

* Columbus defenseman David Savard led all skaters with 31:27 of ice time and had two shots on goal, five hits and four blocked shots.

* Werenski scored in the first period with a shot from the left circle that hit the post in the right corner and caromed underneath the back bar so quickly the referee signaled no goal because the puck was stuck and did not drop to the ice. Video review showed the puck crossed the goal line.
* Guentzel is the second NHL rookie to cap a hat trick in the playoffs with an overtime goal, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The first was Gerry Plamondon of the Montreal Canadiens in Game 2 of the 1949 NHL Semifinals against the Detroit Red Wings. ... Guentzel is the second Pittsburgh player with a postseason hat trick that included an overtime goal, joining Ron Francis, who did it in Game 4 of 1992 Patrick Division Final against the New York Rangers. ... A shot by Blue Jackets defenseman Gabriel Carlsson hit Penguins center Nick Bonino in the head five minutes into the game. Bonino went to the locker room but returned shortly after. … The Penguins are 7-2 all-time in the playoffs against the Blue Jackets, including 3-1 at Nationwide Arena. … The Blue Jackets are 2-11 all-time in the playoffs and have never won a game in regulation. … Columbus forward Sonny Milano made his NHL postseason debut, replacing Matt Calvert, who was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety for cross-checking Pittsburgh forward Tom Kuhnhackl in the third period of Game 2. … Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno, Crosby and Malkin each had two assists.

"The resilience and the resolve we show is part of the fabric of our identity, and it has to be to have success in this league at this time of the year." Mike Sullivan
"It's kind of out of my head, kind of weird, but a pretty unique night. Things were bouncing my way. Two off the back boards was pretty lucky." Guentzel said.

Game 4 - Tuesday, April 18, 2017 - Pens Lose 4-5
The Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 in Game 4 to avoid being swept out of the Eastern Conference First Round at Nationwide Arena. William Karlsson, Boone Jenner and Markus Nutivaara each had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets. Jack Johnson and Josh Anderson scored, Brandon Saad had two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves. Columbus won a playoff game in regulation for the first time; it is 3-11 in its history, with all of the wins against Pittsburgh. Jake Guentzel scored a shorthanded goal while Pittsburgh had an extra attacker to make it 5-4 with 28 seconds left in the third period, but the Penguins did not have another shot. Columbus built a 3-0 lead 4:48 into the second period. Pittsburgh pulled within 3-2 when Patric Hornqvist and Ron Hainsey scored. Phil Kessel had two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 29 saves. Karlsson made it 4-2 on a wraparound off his shot 27 seconds into the third period. Tom Kuhnhackl scored for the Penguins at 2:10 of the third to make it 4-3, but Jenner tapped in a shot by Saad at 5:37 for a 5-3 lead. Nutivaara, a rookie defenseman playing his first Stanley Cup Playoff game, made it 3-0 at 4:48 of the second period when he scored off a rebound of a Jenner shot. Hornqvist scored a power-play goal at 6:43 to make it 3-1, and Hainsey, a veteran of 907 regular-season games, got his first goal in his fourth playoff game, using a screen by Bryan Rust to score from a low angle at 16:24.

Karlsson persevered in scoring the fourth goal for the Blue Jackets, taking the initial shot on the right side and coming around the net to beat Fleury to the left post.

* Bobrovsky made a point-blank save on Hainsey coming down the slot with 6:35 left in the third period.

* Blue Jackets defenseman Kyle Quincey was a healthy scratch the first three games but made an early impact with a jarring hit on Guentzel in the first period. Quincey had an assist, four hits, four blocks and was plus-1 playing 20:48.

* Guentzel scored with a shot from the high slot while everyone was scrambling around him in the closing seconds.
* Crosby did not have shot attempt. … Guentzel, a rookie, has five goals to lead the series. … Karlsson's assist on Anderson's goal was his first NHL playoff point, in his fourth game. … Blue Jackets center Lukas Sedlak, who was out with an injury the first three games, was 6-0 on faceoffs. …The Blue Jackets have allowed at least three goals in each of their 14 playoff games and 10 times have given up four or more. …Columbus defeated Pittsburgh twice in the 2014 Eastern Conference First Round.

"I don't think we were good enough. You have to give them credit. They came out with a lot of urgency. We certainly talked about it before the game, being ready." Mike Sullivan
"You earn your bounces. They were better. They earned the win. We didn't have the desperation we needed to win the game." Sidney Crosby said.
"They've all been good games. It's been a competitive series. They've had great starts in the games that we've weathered and come back and played well for stretches at a time. It hasn't been a one-team-dominant series to this point. We knew they were going to come out, try to get one game. They've got nothing to lose. They got the job done. We've got to get ourselves regrouped tomorrow and get ready for Thursday." Ron Hainsey

Game 5 - Thursday, April 20, 2017 - Pens Win 5-2
The Pittsburgh Penguins weren't at their best, but Marc-Andre Fleury was at his. Fleury made 49 saves for the Penguins in a series-ending 5-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG Paints Arena. The defending Stanley Cup champions won the best-of-7 series 4-1 and advanced to the second round, where they will play the Washington Capitals or Toronto Maple Leafs. It was Fleury's 57th playoff win, which surpassed Tom Barrasso for the most by a Penguins goalie. Fleury allowed four goals on 123 shots in three home games this series, after becoming the surprise Game 1 starter when Matt Murray was injured during warmups. Fleury said he would rank the win near the top of his list of victories in Pittsburgh. Bryan Rust scored twice in the second period, after Pittsburgh took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Phil Kessel in the first. Sidney Crosby and Scott Wilson scored for the Penguins in the third period, and Evgeni Malkin had three assists. He leads the playoffs with 11 points (two goals, nine assists). After Blue Jackets forward Sam Gagner was called for holding at 8:41 of the first period, Kessel gave the Penguins the lead at 9:07. He shuffled the puck to Justin Schultz along the blue line before receiving a pass back near the left circle. Kessel shot from the outer edge past teammate Patric Hornqvist for his second power-play goal of the series. Kessel also had two assists. Rust scored 1:07 into the second period to extend the lead to 2-0 and at 3:50 to make it 3-0. He had five goals in the series. William Karlsson made it 3-1 at 9:30 of the second period and Boone Jenner made it 3-2 with a power-play goal at 12:24. Jenner's goal was upheld following a review that determined it was not scored using a high-stick. Columbus outshot Pittsburgh 51-32, 36-20 in the final two periods. The Blue Jackets thought they tied it 3-3 3:52 into the third period but Alexander Wennberg was called for goale interference. The Penguins took a 4-2 lead on a power-play goal by Crosby at 5:31 of the third period and made it 5-2 on Wilson's first NHL playoff goal 51 seconds later. Columbus forward/captain Nick Foligno (lower body) was scratched after skating with usual linemates Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson during warmups. Washington and Toronto are tied 2-2 in their first-round series with Game 5 on Friday.

* Crosby re-established Pittsburgh's two-goal lead when he dropped to one knee and one-timed a shot from the bottom of the right circle inside the right post.

* After stopping a shot from Gagner, Fleury used his left pad to stuff a rebound attempt from Jenner with 2:40 left in the second period to protect a 3-2 lead.

* Jenner scored after Seth Jones was left alone for a shot in front of Fleury. A glove save denied Jones' shot, but Jenner crashed the crease to bat the puck out of the air with Rust attempting to keep it from crossing the line. Jenner's shot trickled in for his second goal of the series.

* Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta kept the Blue Jackets from taking the lead after Josh Anderson's shot seemed destined to score inside the right post. Maatta batted the puck out of midair 47 seconds into the first period.

* Columbus has not won a playoff series since entering the NHL in 2000-01. Each of its three playoff wins (3-12) have come against Pittsburgh. … Bobrovsky, who had a 2.06 goals-against average and .931 save percentage during the regular season, had a 3.88 GAA and .882 save percentage in the series. ... Fleury is 57-46 in the playoffs. … Columbus forward Scott Hartnell played 8:31 after being a healthy scratch in Game 4. … Crosby needs three playoff points to tie Jaromir Jagr for second in Penguins history (147) and three playoff assists to tie Mario Lemieux for the most in Penguins history (96).
"I think there are a lot of things we can improve on and get better. We just played one of the top teams in the League in the first round. … I believe that our best hockey is ahead of us." -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan
"This was up there," the 32-year-old said. "To be here at home in front of our fans and to be able to get that win with the support that they gave me throughout the season, throughout all these year, I still get butterflies and goose bumps when you hear the crowd chant. I'm happy I was able to contribute and get that win tonight." Fleury said.