Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pitsburgh Penguins: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 69

The last time the Blue Jackets went to Pittsburgh they came home with their first road win there in 15 games, spanning years. Tonight, they'd be in search of any points they could add to their 71 this season as many teams remain in the hunt for those two coveted Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference. Tonight would be a back-to-back after they lost in overtime last night, but gained a point, against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. The final score was 1-0. Tonight would also show Elvis Merzzlikins starting in his first back-to-back games situation since 2020. With a lot on the line, let's recap a high-scoring game. 

The Penguins would prove early on that they had no problems invading Elvis Merzlikins' space. Even with his acrobatic saves early into this game, the Penguins would still score twice. The first goal would come from E. Malkin as he'd scored his fourteenth goal this season at the 5:28 mark. The primary assist would become number eleven this season for P. Tomasino while the secondary would become number four this season for C. Dewar. The Penguins would then go up 2-0 with goal number five this season for N, Acciari at 13:51. The only assist on this goal would become number nin for B. Lizotte. Captain Boone Jenner would score a goal so convincing at 14:07 that, unlike last night, it couldn't be taken off the scoreboard! This is, finally, his first goal of the season and a very long time coming. Denton Mateychuk would add his fourth assist with the primary while Ivan Provorov would add his twenty-second assist this season on the secondary. The Penguins would quickly answer, going up two goals again at 14:53. This goal would be number thirty-two this season for R. Rakell. B. Rust would add his twenty-eighth assist on the primary and S. Crosby would add his fifty-first on the secondary. The Penguins would carry that 3-1 lead into period two. 

The Blue Jackets would come out swinging in period two. Justin Danforth would make it a 3-2 game with his eighth goal this season at 1:35. Mathieu Olivier would pick up the primary, giving him eleven assists this season, and Damon Severson would pick up the secondary, giving him nineteen this season. But, of course, the Penguins would not back down. B. Imama would score his first goal this season at 8:15, giving his home team back their two-goal lead. D. Helnen would add his seventeenth assist on the primary assist while K. Hayes would add his tenth on the secondary. S. Crosby would add his twenty-fifth goal before the period closed at 15:31. M. Grzelcyk would have the only assist on his goal and it would be his thirty-first this season. So, the Blue Jackets would have a three-goal hole to try and dig themselves out of and twenty minutes to do it. 

The Blue Jackets push would continue as Kent Johnson would add his twenty-second goal this season at 3:45. S. Kuraly would add his tenth assist this season on the primary, and Yegor Chinakov would add his eighth assist this season. Have to say, I'm happy Chinny finally got a point after missing so much time and playing so hard since returning. Not every game has been his best, I know, but missing 30+ games is a lot to recover from and he's constantly pushing to do so. Sadly, Yegor Chinakov would go down the tunnel after taking a stick to the face in this period. I really hope he's okay. Sadly, that goal from Kent Johnson would be the last for the Blue Jackets in this game. B. Rust would close out the game with his twenty-third goal of the season going into an empty net. The only assist on this goal would be number twenty-nine for R, Rakell. The goal would come at 18:03, and the Penguins would run down the clock from there. The final would be 6-3, Penguins.  

I know it's been a rough five games since this scoring and losing slump hit this team, but you've gotta keep the faith, just like this team has to. It isn't over yet. We have 13 games remaining, and our next is at the New York Islanders on Monday at 7:30. I like that we played Elvis Merzlikins back-to-back because, in a playoff situation, he would face many back-to-back games. This team keeps driving, they had another 48 shots tonight on the Penguins' goaltender, A. Nedeljkovic. It isn't for lack of trying, believe me, there were plenty that A. Nedeljkovic shopped that he had no business doing so, but he did. Even with the Penguins not in the hunt, it's come to the point of the season where heaven the teams who aren't going to make the playoffs are fighting for something of equal value to them: pride. It has been a really long time since this team, our Blue Jackets, were fighting for something more than pride at this point in the season and I will not give up on this team until it is over. I hope you feel the same, 5th Line. 

Go CBJ!