1. Entering Game 5, the Blue Jackets had played the Penguins tough and given themselves a chance to win every game. Though the score was close, that shouldn't have been the case Game 5. From about midway through the 1st period until the end of the game, the Penguins dominated play. They outshot the Blue Jackets 51-24 and out attempted Columbus 82-45 with all game states factored in. This was the worst game of the series for Columbus, and they're now on the brink of elimination as a result. They need to be much better if they have any hope of coming back in this series.
2. If it weren't for Sergei Bobrovsky, this game would have been a blowout. He made countless spectacular saves among his 48 stops and was the only reason the game was even close. Bobrovsky did everything he could to keep the Jackets in it, he just didn't get any help from his teammates.
3. Penguins fans who booed Sidney Crosby at the game should be disgusted in themselves. He's the best player in hockey, and has dominated the league since the day he joined it. The narrative out there is Crosby is having a horrible series because he hasn't scored, but the reality is he's playing well, and it's only a matter of time before we see an offensive explosion from him. Crosby has five points and 18 shots in five games, and the Penguins have out attempted the Blue Jackets 95-63 during 5 vs 5 play when Crosby has been on the ice. Maybe he should have a goal or two on top of his assists, but he's hardly struggling.
4. I have to give Marc-Andre Fleury credit for his performance. Coming into the game I didn't have much confidence in his bounce back ability, as typically when it rains for him in the playoffs, it pours. That wasn't the case, though, as he stopped 23-24 and made the big save whenever he had to. He wasn't exceptional, but he didn't need to be.
5. For the first time this series, Paul Martin didn't record two assists to go along with his 24+ minutes of ice. All he did was out attempt the Jackets 24-15 (61.5%) during 5 vs 5 play. What a bum.
6. I thought Derek MacKenzie, Blake Comeau and Mark Letestu had good games together. They seemed to generate plenty of chances down low, and they were the only three Blue Jackets to have positive shot attempt for ratings in the game.
7. Ryan Murray played a little over 18 minutes in his first game back from injury. I expect that number to go up in Game 6, pending he's healthy enough to play that much.
8. 5 vs 5 shot attempts for/against:
Nick Foligno 5/17 Artem Anisimov 2/14 RJ Umberer 4/16
Real ugly night for the Foligno - Anisimov - Umberger line.
9. Boone Jenner is turning into a real nice player for the Jackets. He's recorded a point in all five games this series, and has scored in three consecutive outings.
10. Game plan for the Jackets in Game 6: Stay disciplined, and put more pucks on net. They need to make Fleury work, and make sure Crosby and Evgeni Malkin don't have any more space to work with than necessary.
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