Penguins vs Blue Jackets skate into game five tonight at 7 PM Eastern Time with the series tied at two games apiece. The Penguins are eager to get back on home ice for game five. So far, the teams have traded blow for blow, with the Pens winning games one and three and the Jackets winning games two and four…and – get this – every game has been a come from behind victory.
Hockey players tend to be superstitious, but don’t count on any of them being suspicious enough to give away the first goal just because the pattern in the Blue Jackets vs Penguins series has been the team down by two goals has come back every time. Like the four games before it, count on game five to be a battle from the time the puck is dropped until one team or the other celebrates at center ice.
Speaking of first goals, the Pittsburgh Penguins have some big name stars who are still looking for their first goals of the playoff series, starting with Sidney Crosby – considered by most as the obvious choice for the NHL’s 2014 MVP . Crosby isn’t the only Penguin having trouble finding the back of the net. Evgeni Malkin hasn’t lit the lamp in the Blue Jackets vs Penguins series yet, either. Fortunately for the Pens, they have a deep roster and several of the role players have stepped up their offensive production.
As for the Blue Jackets, they came into the Penguins vs Blue Jackets series with a grand total of four playoff games in franchise history – all losses to the Detroit Red Wings , who are fighting for their playoff lives against the Boston Bruins . Now, they’re holding their own against a Pittsburgh team that many have slated to go all the way. Don’t expect them to content themselves with just holding their own, though. An AP report quotes Columbus Blue Jackets coach Todd Richardson saying this about the series so far and his team’s mindset coming into the playoffs against the Penguins:
“There’s been surprises. The way the series has gone, each team has had leads and found ways to lose a game, or the other team has found a way to win… His (defenseman Jack Johnson) response was ‘I want to win the Stanley Cup. That’s my goal. It was him that said ‘I want to win the Stanley Cup.’ Not make the playoffs or come in second. That was one real positive thing as far as the attitude and the expectation.”
Don’t miss any of the action in the Blue Jackets vs Penguins matchup tonight. You can watch the entire Penguins vs Blue Jackets game five online live here .