Blue Jackets Fall To Penguins 4-3, Lose Series In Six

Damn, damn, damn, that close, it’s been a pleasure watching and writing about this team, alright back to the recap of the game. Evgeni Malkin recorded a hat trick, and the Pittsburgh Penguins held on for a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday in Nationwide Arena, clinching the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

The Penguins, who advanced in six games, next will meet the winner of the ongoing series between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers lead the Flyers three games to two.

Pittsburgh scored twice in each of the first two periods to build a 4-0 lead, then survived Columbus’ three-goal, third-period surge.

Malkin went scoreless in nine consecutive playoffs games, dating back to last season game, before going crazy on Monday.

Brandon Sutter also scored for the Penguins, while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had finished with 24 saves.

The Blue Jackets seemed overwhelmed in the first two periods, but they responded out of nowhere, what a crazy, crazy, finish.

Fedor Tyutin,  Artem Anisimov and  Nick Foligno scored in a five-minute span late in the third period, pulling the Blue Jackets within 4-3 with 4:47 remaining, and I’m here at my house saying, is this real life?

Columbus goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves but was under constant duress in the early part of the game before the Penguins eased off.

Malkin scored at 9:11 of the first period, taking a pass and putting in a shot to the goal.

He made it 2-0 at 13:13 of the first when he scored on on the power play.

The Penguins pushed the lead to 4-0 in the second period thanks to two breakaways.

Sutter made it 3-0 only 34 seconds into the second. He jumped on a turnover by Blue Jackets

Apr 28, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Marcel Goc (57) is hit by Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin (51) in game six of the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

James Wisniewski and beat Bobrovsky with a backhand flip over the goalie’s right pad.

Malkin cashed in again at 15:22 of the third, with a snapped wrister through Bobrovsky’s glove to make it 4-0.

The Blue Jackets didn’t get going until the third.

Tyutin got the first Jackets goal in the third,  to make it 4-1 with 9:39 to play.

Anisimov made it 4-2 with 6:06 to play, a shot from the right circle, and Foligno brought crowd into a frenzy with a goal to cut it to one with 4:47 remaining.

Blue Jackets head into the offseason after only their second playoff berth in franchise history.

The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 43 wins and 93 points during the regular season, and they also earned the first playoff win and first home playoff win in franchise history.

I’ve gained a new respect for the sport of hockey and the Blue Jackets are my favorite team. The crowd in Columbus was amazing, no wonder they are called the “5th line.” The future is bright for this young and talented hockey team, I will definitely cover them more next season, congrats on a great season Jackets!