Penguins at Blue Jackets
Although 3-1 leads have evaporated in each of the three contests, the Pittsburgh Penguins will seize that very advantage in their Eastern Conference first-round series should they defeat the host Columbus Blue Jackets in Game 4 on Wednesday. Pittsburgh overcame the two-goal deficit en route to a 4-3 triumph in the series opener before scoring three goals in a 2-minute, 13-second span in an identical victory in Game 3 on Monday. Brandon Sutter and Lee Stempniak tallied before Jussi Jokinen netted the go-ahead tally 8:06 into the third period to complete the comeback.
While the Penguins understandably were elated with the result, the Blue Jackets are refusing to wave the white flag despite the late uprising. "The series is 2-1. Nothing's been lost here," said Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson, who has scored a goal in all three games of the set. "It's not like some big tragedy has happened. We're still in the series."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, RDS, ROOT (Pittsburgh), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: A high-octane offense has pretty much been the norm in the Steel City, although some familiar names have yet to score a goal in the series. Captain Sidney Crosby (team-leading 36 goals), Chris Kunitz (35) and Evgeni Malkin (23) have combined for eight assists, while James Neal (27 goals) has been held off the scoresheet in all three tilts. "Obviously, Sid and Geno (Malkin) and Kuni and James Neal are going to get a lot of the attention, a lot of the tougher matchups," Stempniak said. "It sort of comes down to the secondary scoring and the other players who can make a difference in the series."
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS: Coach Todd Richards admitted that he saw the parallels between Games 1 and 3, from the frenzied atmosphere surrounding the series opener to Columbus' crowd desiring to celebrate its first postseason victory. Richards acknowledged that the Blue Jackets "got away from our game a little bit. Some of that had to do with what Pittsburgh was doing, but some of it had to do with what we were doing, too." Columbus would be wise to crack down on its penalties, as the Penguins have totaled a league-best 17 power-play opportunities.
OVERTIME
1. Pittsburgh D Paul Martin has notched two assists in each of the three games of the series.
2. Columbus D Fedor Tyutin sat out Tuesday's optional morning skate and is expected to miss his second straight contest with an upper-body injury.
3. Penguins C Brian Gibbons (upper body) participated in Tuesday's optional skate, but coach Dan Bylsma did not provide an update on the rookie.