Match-up - Pittsburgh Penguins (2-1) @ Columbus Blue Jackets (1-2) Road/Home records - 1-0 -------------- 0-1 TV - NBCSN, CBC, ROOT, FS-Ohio, RDS Puck drop - 7:00 p.m. ET Series - Penguins lead 2-1 Starting goalies - Fleury (2-1, 2.99GAA, .899SV%) vs Bobrovsky (1-2, 3.32, .904SV%)
Projected lines for the Penguins:
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Lee Stempniak Jussi Jokinen - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal Beau Bennett - Brandon Sutter - Jayson Megna Tanner Glass - Joe Vitale - Craig Adams
Brooks Orpik - Paul Martin Rob Scuderi - Kris Letang Olli Maatta - Matt Niskanen
Projected lines for the Blue Jackets:
*Questionable, Prout will play if he does not
Boone Jenner - Ryan Johansen - Nick Foligno Matt Calvert - Brandon Dubinsky - Cam Atkinson R.J. Umberger - Artem Anisimov - Jack Skille Derek MacKenzie - Mark Letestu - Blake Comeau
Fedor Tyutin* - Jack Johnson Ryan Murray - James Wisniewski Nikita Nikitin - David Savard
Notes:
- Sidney Crosby still hasn't scored in this series, and he's getting the bulk of his 5 vs 5 shifts against Jack Johnson, who he's killing in terms of possession. Johnson has been opportunistic offensively to say the least, but he's spent the better part of most of his shifts chasing Crosby around in the defensive zone. I don't like that matchup at all for Columbus, and it won't be long before Crosby starts lightning the lamp if things continue the way they've been going. Johnson was on for six shot attempts for, and 19 against during 5 vs 5 play in Game 2.
- Save for the final 21 minutes of the last game, Columbus has played Pittsburgh pretty tough at even strength, and have held their own there for much of the series. If they can keep things at evens and maybe get some help from the power play, they should be fine.
- Paul Martin has quietly been a star in this series. He's posted no worse than a 59% Corsi rating in any game, and he's recorded two assists in each contest. He doesn't get much credit from the common fan, but he's probably the most reliable two-way defenseman on the Penguins. It's worth noting Martin has posted these numbers while playing primarily against Ryan Johansen's line.
- Discipline will be key for the Blue Jackets. They took six penalties in Game 3, but managed to kill them all off. It's only a matter of time before Pittsburgh finds a way to capitalize on their opportunities, so Columbus will need to limit them.
- It may not be an elimination game, but I think this is a must win for the Blue Jackets. If they win this, the series is all squared up through four and some pressure starts to shift back to the Penguins. If the Jackets lose, they're down 3-1 to a team who's top players (Crosby, Malkin, etc. aren't scoring) and have to win three straight, including two on the road. I'd say that's extremely unlikely to happen, so they need this one.
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