Blue Jackets at Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan appeared at ease shuffling veteran Marc-Andre Fleury in the crease in place of injured goaltender Matt Murray, and the Columbus Blue Jackets don't seem too fazed by the switch, either. After excelling as a last-minute replacement, Fleury has been confirmed to start on Friday in Game 2 of the first-round series at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
"Potato, po-tah-to, they are both good," Blue Jackets veteran forward Scott Hartnell said about the Penguins' goaltending situation on Thursday, one day removed from seeing the 32-year-old Fleury step in for Murray and make 16 of his 31 saves in the first period of a 3-1 triumph. "We've all said all along we're very fortunate to have two quality goaltenders like we have that we rely on to help us win," Sullivan said. Columbus coach John Tortorella acknowledged as much at Thursday's practice but implored his team to make Fleury uncomfortable in the crease and convert their second-chance opportunities. Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert scored midway into the third period, marking his second goal in as many contests and third point after being held off the scoresheet in his previous 11 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Brandon Saad looks to atone from a porous performance in Game 1, one that saw the 24-year-old Pittsburgh native limited to just 1:45 of ice time in the third period. "When I do get out there, I'll do my best and try to help the team win," Saad said following Thursday's practice. "It's (Tortorella's) job to put the team out there that he thinks will get the job done. For me, that's out of my control. ... It's do-or-die here. So every game, it's a clean slate." Sergei Bobrovsky would like to wipe the slate clean, as the former Vezina Trophy winner has yielded 16 goals during his five-game losing skid.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Phil Kessel is off to a fast start in the postseason after enjoying quite the playoffs last spring in which he led Pittsburgh in both goals (10) and points (22). The 29-year-old scored a power-play goal and assisted on Bryan Rust's second-period tally to record his sixth multi-point performance in 25 career playoff games with the Penguins. Rust, who missed Thursday's practice due to a maintenance day, has been quite comfortable in the Steel City during the playoffs with four goals in his last five home games.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh C Evgeni Malkin (upper body) returned from a 13-game absence to set up two goals, moving past Jaromir Jagr for third place on the club's all-time postseason assists list with 83.
2. Blue Jackets RW Josh Anderson set up a goal on Wednesday to raise his assist total to three in five games versus the Penguins.
3. Pittsburgh rookie G Tristan Jarry will serve as Fleury's backup in place of Murray, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury.