We all knew the Penguins were a dangerous playoff team. This first round, however, has been quite the shock. Despite missing key defensemen and losing a chunk of the bottom-six offensive production that made them so hard to play against last season, Pittsburgh is one game away from a sweep.
Penguins vs. Blue Jackets: Columbus needs tighter play in an elimination Game 4
Nothing has seemingly gone right for the Blue Jackets in their series with the Penguins.
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The Blue Jackets have hardly looked like the monsters they were for a majority of the season. Sergei Bobrovsky has been less-than-average and the bite and snarl the Blue Jackets had seems non-existent next to the colossus that is the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With a Game 3 overtime loss fresh in their minds and a sweep to their Metropolitan Division rivals a real possibility, the Blue Jackets have a lot of soul searching to do.
What we learned in Game 3
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Even depleted, the Penguins have incredible forward depth. It’s miraculous how Pittsburgh manages to find guys like Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel. The latter — a 22-year-old rookie — had a hat trick in the Game 3 win for the Penguins. While Pittsburgh’s bottom-six has had rough stretches, it’s hard to stop the one-two-three line punch of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel. Add in the players like Sheary, Guentzel, and Bryan Rust alongside them and you’ve got a winning combination.
Key player in Game 4
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Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets need their star goaltender to step up in Game 4. Pittsburgh will likely want to get this series over with as soon as possible, and Bobrovsky’s .897 save percentage leaves much to be desired. While the Blue Jackets offense finally got going in Game 3, Bobrovsky — and the defense’s play around him — will need to step up to avoid a sweep.
What will decide Tuesday night’s game?
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A strong start. The Blue Jackets put the Penguins on their heels on Sunday with a goal 11 seconds into the game. Columbus would love to duplicate that start at home once again as they followed it up with a three-goal first period. Playing tighter defense in the middle period might also help Columbus’ case, too.
Who takes home Game 4?
The Blue Jackets. Columbus holds off elimination for another day, just barely.
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