‘Sid and the Kids’ put Blue Jackets in deep 2-0 hole
PITTSBURGH Mike Sullivan’s decision to throw together Sidney Crosby, Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel was two parts pragmatism and one part experimentation.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were banged up in mid-March and needed a spark. So Sullivan put the best player in the game alongside a couple of 20-somethings who make up for in energy and intelligence what they lack in pedigree.
“Sid and the Kids” are growing up on the job. And the defending Stanley Cup champions are only too happy to ride the wave.
Crosby had a goal and two assists, Guentzel scored his first NHL playoff goal and Sheary added a brilliant secondary assist as the Penguins rolled by the frustrated Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Friday in Game 2 of the first round series.
“When they’re in that offensive zone, they’re as dangerous an offensive line as there is in the game for me,” Sullivan said.
Sheary’s determination set up Crosby’s 50th playoff goal to give Pittsburgh a first-period lead and Guentzel buried a cross-ice pass from Crosby to put the Penguins ahead near the game’s midpoint as the Penguins went up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Sunday night in Columbus.
“I’m trying to keep up with them, for the most part,” Crosby said. “They’re pretty fast and they have a lot of skill. I think we’re just trying to read off each other.
“This time of year there’s not a lot of time and space but tonight we were able to get a good number of chances. It was good to see some go in.”
Evgeni Malkin scored his first goal of the post-season, and Patric Hornqvist pushed in an empty-net goal. Marc-Andre Fleury finished with 39 saves while filling in for the injured Matt Murray, and received plenty of help as the Penguins blocked 23 shots. Brandon Saad scored for Columbus and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 shots but the Blue Jackets continued to have issues offensively. Columbus has scored more than three goals just once in its last 13 games.
“We played the game we wanted to, we just weren’t able to bury our chances and they did,” Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky said.
Crosby turned Pittsburgh’s first shot of the game into a 1-0 lead, though he had the easy part: settling the puck at the doorstep then flipping it home. Sheary did the hard part: poke-checking the puck away from Bobrovsky behind the Columbus net and getting it to Guentzel in front. Guentzel then slid it to Crosby and the Penguins were in control.
“I thought if I could get on (Bobrovsky) quick he’d have to make a quick decision,” Sheary said.
“He eventually just held onto it and I was able to create a turnover.”
Saad gave the Blue Jackets a jolt when his wrist shot from the left circle zipped over Fleury’s glove seven minutes into the second.
The momentum lasted all of 51 seconds, or as along as it took for Crosby and Guentzel to break in 2-on-1. Crosby fed it to Guentzel and the 22-year-old rookie sent a shot Bobrovsky’s outstretched left pad couldn’t reach.
Columbus, one of the more physical teams in the league, briefly lost its cool late.
Forward Matt Calvert crosschecked Pittsburgh’s Tom Kuhnhackl across the head with the game well out of reach late.
Boone Jenner and Scott Harrington received misconduct penalties after the final horn.
Not that it bothered coach John Tortorella, who has 48 hours to revive the Blue Jackets’ chances of winning its first playoff series in franchise history.
“I don’t have one (complaint) about the team,” Tortorella said. “Not one. Anxious to get our suits on again and get back in the building.”