Penguins/NHL
COLUMBUS 4 – PITTSBURGH 3 OT The Pittsburgh Penguins roared to a 3-0 first period lead. For a team that the big shots in the organization think can walk on water, it should have been game over but it wasn’t and the series is all tied at 2-2.
Nick Foligno scored 2:49 into overtime with a wrister from 65 ft out as the Blue Jackets stormed back with four unanswered goals for a thrilling overtime win.
Brandon Dubinsky had the heroics late in the third period. tying the game up at 3-3 with 26 seconds left in regulation. Marc Andre Fleury inexcusably decided to come out of his net on a dump in, mis-played the puck as it bounced over his stick and with Fleury out of position and out of the net, Ryan Johansen got the puck to Dubinsky in the slot for the game tying goal.
Through four games Dubinsky has been the best player in the series. Dubinsky was on the ice for nearly 73% of Sidney Crosby’s shifts combined in Games 3, 4, where the Blue Jackets had the last change. Dubinsky has 1 goals, 3 assists in his last two games, Crosby who is scoreless in the series, continues to create little offensively at 5-on-5 and has now not scored in nine straight playoff games. He has just two even strength points in the series.
For the Penguins, it all came crashing down for Fleury who was having a sensational game only to melt down in the final seconds of regulation and in overtime. The worrisome part is that you could tell just seconds into overtime that Fleury never recovered from the Dubinsky goal.
The Penguins were outshot 46-25 but they allowed just 2 shots in the final 13:38 of the third period when holding a one goal lead. At some point your goaltender has to steal a playoff game. Fleury came up short and now the pressure is really on him to see how he responds.
