The Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to put away the Columbus Blue Jackets for good. The team is up 3-2 in the series with the hopeful final game on Monday night. The Blue Jackets are aware the Penguins believe they can get the series win and move on, but Columbus has no plans on going down without a fight as the team aims to force a Game 7.
The Penguins want this series over with. Things went longer than expected as Columbus proved tougher than maybe assumed. With injuries hitting hard, the team would like an extra few days to rest before starting the second round of playoff games. Getting the Game 6 win will achieve that, but it will be harder than Pittsburgh might want.
Pittsburgh looked improved in Game 5. They got the 3-1 victory while playing a bit more physical and aggressive towards the Blue Jackets. They locked down defensively and disrupted any attempt for Columbus to gain some kind of rhythm. They put up 37 hits to the Blue Jackets 34 while winnings 25 of 35 faceoffs in the final two periods. The Penguins failed to put up numbers anywhere close to that in the first few games.
The Blue Jackets did excel in the net. Sergei Bobrovsky kept things interesting by stopping 48 of 50 shots. That was the one bright spot for Columbus. Marc-Andre Fleury only saw 24 shots come his way so his night was fairly calm. Columbus was not happen with Pittsburgh's tactic of crowding the goalie in order to stop shots.
The Blue Jackets have been fighting all season. They barely made it into the playoffs and must adjust to the Penguins if they are going to force a Game 7. They might have just collected the franchise's first playoff win in 13 seasons, but it is time to buckle down if they are going to get their first playoff series.
