Penguins in 5, if they turn the other cheek

employ two classic villains in Brandon Dubinsky and Scott Hartnell, plus a band of eager young bloodhounds.

“Like coach says, ‘Same as last year — just keep going every shift,’ ” Evgeni Malkin said Tuesday. “We know after the whistle, they don’t stop. We know that. We need to be smart. If they touch our goalie, we need to answer. If they touch our defense, we need to answer. But not take dirty penalties. We need to be smart and play our game.”

In other words, find a balance between toughness and stupidity and try not to relapse. It’s the same balance the Blue Jackets must try to strike. I asked Patrick Hornqvist if the turn-the-other-cheek challenge is heightened this year by virtue of facing Hartnell, Dubinsky & Co.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “[The Blue Jackets] play really hard. We have to play with a lot of emotion, but in the same way, we have to control it. And that’s what ‘Just Play’ means.

“We can’t get into their [expletive] after whistles and stuff. We just have to play through it and play hard.”

What I wonder is this: Do the Blue Jackets believe, deep down, they can beat the Penguins four times in a straightup game of ice hockey — and if not, are they susceptible to repeating the Washington Capitals’ grave mistake of last spring?

The Capitals are big and tough, but they stepped way out of character in attempting to intimidate the Penguins. They tried to pound the Penguins into losing their minds like Penguins teams of previous times. The approach blew up in spectacular fashion.

Maybe the Blue Jackets believe the Capitals failed, but bashing bodies isn’t exactly their style anymore. They play a hard game, for sure, and hits always increase at playoff time. But the idea that this is the same team that pounded its way to a league-leading hit total three years ago is flat false.

The Blue Jackets have changed in some pretty profound ways themselves since losing to the Penguins in six games in 2014. They led the league in hits that season (31.8 per game) but have since dropped to fifth, eighth and this season 22nd, at just 20.2 per game.

Why the decline? The Blue Jackets own the puck more. They’re more skilled. They can win at hockey. And yet, when they came to PPG Paints Arena last Tuesday, they seemed intent on proving their manhood. They relapsed. They registered 49 hits, ignited scrums after whistles … and ultimately lost, 4-1.

Columbus had just one power play — it had the fewest in the league this season, maybe because it doesn’t have game-breakers who draw penalties — and gave the Penguins three. If that ratio holds, if coach John Tortorella allows that doomed macho-man approach to carry into this series, it will be nothing short of an act of insanity. We’ll be calling them the Columbus Straitjackets by Game 3.

I just wonder if they can help themselves.

On the other hand, the Penguins prone, and maybe the Blue Jackets will knock some players out of the series, either giving themselves or the Capitals after them a better chance. Maybe they will see pure mayhem maybe the Penguins will relapse

That’s just not the bet I’d take. I refuse to believe Sullivan would allow that to happen.

Of particular interest is the battle between Crosby and Dubinsky, who sees “87” and thinks “pinata!” He was suspended last season for nearly chopping Crosby’s head off.

I asked Dubinsky, after the game last week, if he believes the best way to beat the Penguins is to get physical.

“I’m not going to talk about how we’re going to beat these guys,” he said. “We’ll just see what happens.”

We will — and I’m going to bet it’s the Blue Jackets, not the Penguins, who suffer a relapse. Penguins in five.