The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Eastern Conference this season, but limped into the playoffs, winning only three of their last seven games. Team captain Sydney Crosby played in 80 games for the first time since the 2009 season, and led the team in goals and assists. He is also the league leader in points with 104, which will earn him his second Art Ross Trophy. The team sustained injuries to key players like Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, and had to rely on less experienced players to help them win games.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are making their first playoff appearance since the 2008 season, and their second overall in franchise history. They were led during the regular season by Ryan Johansen, who scored 33 goals and had 30 assists during the regular season. The Blue Jackets lost all four regular season games to the Penguins, but have been playing very good hockey in April, and had impressive victories against playoff teams like the Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Montreal Canadiens. They are hoping to keep the streak going and give the Penguins some problems in their first round matchup.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4, Wednesday, April 23, 2014. 7 PM. ET. NBCSN
The Blue Jackets quickly let the Penguins know they were in for a tough series in game 1, when they took a 3-1 lead in the 2nd period, the Penguins responded with two quick power play goals less than a minute apart to tie the game, and took the lead when Brandon Sutter scored the final goal of the game eight minutes into the 3rd period. The Penguins escaped with the win, but the Blue Jackets let them know they were in for a tough series.
Game 2 took two overtimes to decide the winner, but the young Blue Jackets were victorious when Matt Calvert scored his second goal of the game. This game was the exact opposite of game 1, the Penguins jumped to an early 2 goal lead in the 1st period, with two quick goals from Brian Gibbons, and had a 3-1 lead at the end of the 1st period. The Blue Jackets cut the lead to one goal in the 2nd period when Matt Calvert scored his first goal, which was a shorthanded goal, then tied the game up 13:59 into the 3rd period, before getting another goal from Calvert in the 2nd overtime, to give them the 4-3 victory.
In the third game, the Blue Jackets had a 3-1 lead in the 3rd period, and looked like they were going to get their first home victory in the playoffs, before the Penguins exploded with 3 goals in a little over two minutes, which helped them win the game 4-3.
Game Line: The Penguins are favored to win, with the money line at -130.
Personal Pick: The Blue Jackets have shown a lot of heart so far in the series, but won't be able to keep it up in game 4.
The Blue Jackets have done what they set out to do, which is to make Pittsburgh earn their way into the next round. They let their best chance in the series slip away in game 3, and won't get a chance like that again for the rest of the series. Pittsburgh should win this series in 5 games.