Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pitsburgh Penguins: 3/5/24 Game Recap

First, a happy 100th NHL Game to Mathieu Olivier and a happy 200th NHL Game to Cole Sillinger! 

Period one tonight belongs to the home team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, who took a commanding 2-0 lead after twenty minutes. The two goals came from Jesse Puljujarvi at 13:33 and Evgeni Malkin at 18:57. Period two saw our Blue Jackets rebound from an offenseless opening period with a goal from Johnny Gaudreau at 4:31. His tenth goal this season helped him bounce into the double-digit club in this stat category. Jack Roslovic keeps his assist count rolling with his seventeenth, while Zach Werenski gets his thirty-fourth this season and 200th Blue Jackets assist; what a moment for the Alternate Captain Defenseman! Less than a minute later, another defenseman would have a season moment as Andrew Peeke scored his first goal this season at 5:28. Jake Bean picks up the primary assist, giving him eight this season, while Alexander Texier keeps rolling and adds his thirteenth with the secondary. Unfortunately, the Penguins would get the go-ahead goal before this period closed, thanks to Rickard Rakell at 14:32. That said, this is another competitive game, and we've waited months to see the Blue Jackets string those together. 

A penalty against Sillinger fired up Jack Roslovic, allowing him to score his third shorthand goal of the season at 8:04. This goal gives him five this season, and Andrew Peeke had a multipoint night with his seventh assist of the season. The Penguins wouldn't take too kindly to the visiting Blue Jackets tying the game again, and they'd score another two goals, one from Jeff Carter at 8:24 and another from Reilly Smith at 9:53. With a little over five minutes left, the Blue Jackets would get their only power play of the game but couldn't cash in. The game would conclude with no further goals: Penguins win 5-3.   

It isn't the outcome we'd hoped, especially with the road drought against our rivals reaching fourteen games, but the Blue Jackets will have another chance to top a top team on Thursday. The Edmonton Oilers will be in Nationwide Arena for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. Conner McDavid and the Oilers are hot right now, but then again, if we can beat the Golden Knights, why not the Oilers, too? I will be at this game, so I won't be writing a game recap that evening. So, my next post will be predictions about the upcoming 2024 Trade Deadline on Friday, March 8th. 

Go CBJ! 









      

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