COLUMBUS, Ohio – A rollicking capacity crowd will be lying in wait for the Pittsburgh Penguins when they come to Nationwide Arena for Game 3 of the their Stanley Cup Playoff Series.
This will be only the third home playoff game in Blue Jackets history (7:00 p.m./FOX Sports Ohio).
A cellar-dweller for many of their first 12 seasons, the Blue Jackets shocked the mighty Penguins Saturday night by rallying from a two-goal deficit to win Game 2, 4-3 in double overtime. Now the Penguins, under fire from media and fans in their hometown due to their own recent failures in the postseason, must find a way to turn things around tonight.
Matt Calvert banged home a rebound 1:10 into the second overtime to earn Columbus its first playoff victory in franchise history, a 4-3 win.
Jack Johnson had tied the game with 6:01 left in regulation for the Blue Jackets. Ryan Johansen also scored the first playoff goal of his career for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky overcame a shaky start to finish with 39 saves.
After an injury-filled regular season, about the last thing the Pittsburgh Penguins needed or expected was a major struggle early in the playoffs.
Yet that is exactly what they’re getting from the Blue Jackets.