Pittsburgh and Columbus have played three games in the Eastern Conference playoff series and every game has featured a team building a 3-1 lead.
The Blue Jackets were this close to forcing overtime in Game 3
Brandon Dubinsky nearly pulled off the play of the playoffs (so far) at the buzzer in Game 3 of the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets series.
Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
That team has lost every game.
The latest example was on Monday night when Pittsburgh erased a two-goal hird period deficit to earn a 4-3 win and take a 2-1 lead in the series. While the Penguins outshot the Blue Jackets 41-20 for the game and dominated every puck possession metric, they still allowed one last chance at the buzzer as Brandon Dubinsky nearly pulled off the play of the playoffs (so far).
Dubinsky entered the zone with less than three seconds to play and pulled off a nifty move to beat Paul Martin. From there, he slid a pass across the crease for Ryan Johansen for what looked to be a tap-in goal to tie the game at the buzzer, only to have Jussi Jokinen break it up.
The Penguins had an abysmal start to the game, giving up two goals in the first six minutes, but completely dictated the pace of the game after that. The shot attempt chart via Extra Skater shows the exact moment Pittsburgh flipped the switch (right around the time Brooks Orpik put them on the board just before the buzzer in the second period).
Columbus didn’t have an answer. There is certainly some score effects at play there, but the Blue Jackets took their foot off the gas and gave the Penguins an opening to get back in it.
It cost them.
See More:
