Letang’s shootout goal wins game filled with playoff intensity
PITTSBURGH — If there was any doubt whether the Blue Jackets and Penguins are rivals, it was erased by Thursday night’s clash.
Animosity and intensity raged as the teams fought each other for the win, and fought repeatedly on the ice. The Penguins ultimately prevailed 3-2 in a shootout at PPG Paints Arena in a game that felt more like the teams’ first-round playoff series last season than a regular-season game.
“It was a crazy game,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “We found a way to battle back and get a point. … I’m proud of our team.”
After the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin and the Jackets’ Cam Atkinson each scored in the first round of the shootout, Sidney Crosby and Artemi Panarin couldn’t convert. Jack Johnson had a chance to win it for the Jackets after Phil Kessel failed, but he came up empty, as did Oliver Bjorkstrand after the Penguins’ Kris Letang scored.
The Jackets lost for just the second time in 10 games decided in overtime or by a shootout this season.
“When we play them we know it’s going to be a hard-fought game,” wing Josh Anderson said. “From start to finish, it’s going to be a battle.”
Each team finished with 10 penalties. The fisticuffs started in the first period when Lukas Sedlak and the Penguins’ Ryan Reaves dropped their gloves. Reaves got the best of Sedlak, but Sedlak drew praise from Tortorella for taking Reaves on.
That set the tone. Several skirmishes ensued before it all came to a head in the final 29 seconds of the second period, when a total of nine penalties were assessed.
Nick Foligno and Malkin each got a fiveminute major for their fight, and less than half a minute later, as the horn sounded to signal intermission, Boone Jenner came at Crosby high, Letang retaliated, and players from both teams jumped into the melee. It ended with Seth Jones and Crosby wrestling before falling to the ice.
The Jackets got the worst of the exchange. While Crosby and Jones were each assessed a double-minor for roughing and Letang was given two minutes for roughing, Jenner was hit with a five-minute major for cross-checking and also received a 10-minute game misconduct.
“It’s just two teams with a lot of history,” Foligno said of the mayhem that ended the second period. “Emotions are going to run wild. It’s a game we both really wanted. That’s Scored deciding goal in the shootout and also had an assist
Scored tying goal in third period for his first goal in eight games and assisted on team’s other goal
39 saves, including several spectacular ones to give the Jackets hope
Penalties— PIT, Major (fighting), 15:27; Sedlak, CBJ, Major (fighting), 15:27; Sedlak, CBJ, served by Bjorkstrand, (roughing), 15:27; Crosby, PIT, (delay of game), 18:26.
1, Columbus, Dubois 8 (Panarin, Carlsson), 7:09. Penalties—Hornqvist, PIT, (elbowing), 9:04; Jones, CBJ, (interference), 12:55; Foligno, CBJ, Major (fighting), 19:31; Malkin, PIT, Major (fighting), 19:31; Jones, CBJ, (roughing), 20:00; Crosby, PIT, (roughing), 20:00; Jones, CBJ, what happens. There are guys on their team not afraid of it and guys on our team not afraid of it.”
The Penguins took advantage with a power-play goal at 2:25 of the third period. Patric Hornqvist tipped Kessel’s shot past Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the score at 1. To that point, the only goal belonged to Pierre-Luc Dubois, who scored on assists from Panarin and Gabriel Carlsson.
The Penguins took the lead on their second power-play goal, with
Columbus 1 (Atkinson G, Panarin NG, Johnson NG, Bjorkstrand NG), Pittsburgh 2 (Malkin G, Crosby NG, Kessel NG, Letang G).
Columbus 8-11-8-5—32. Pittsburgh 15-15-10-1—41.
Columbus 1 of 4; Pittsburgh 2 of 5. Columbus, Bobrovsky 17-10-2 (41 shots-39 saves). Pittsburgh, Murray 13-9-1 (32-30). 18,625 (18,387). 2:53.
4:57 left, after a face-off violation penalty by the Jackets. Panarin went to the box for the infraction, and then came out and atoned for it with the tying goal. His power-play goal at 16:14 of the third came on a 4-on-3 advantage and secured one point for the Jackets.
“It was a weird game the way it out played,” Foligno said. “We did a lot of good things … and it could have gone either way.”