Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Preview, Score & Results

Frank Doyle has previews and predictions for all of the NHL playoffs’ opening-round series. This time he breaks down the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets. Check out all of Sports Interaction’s NHL Stanley Cup odds here.

Odds: Pittsburgh -333, Columbus -220

Pittsburgh Penguins:

The Penguins averaged three goals per game and owned the league’s best power play in the regular season. Pittsburgh boasts elite top-end talent in its top six forwards with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and James Neal. Any of these players can take over a game on their own. Crosby ran away with the scoring race with 104 points – 17 better than Ryan Getzlaf, the runner up.  Malkin missed 22 games due to injury and still managed 70 points while Neal had 61 points in only 59 games. The Pens got some key players back in the lineup just in time for a postseason warm-up. Paul Martin and Kris Letang returned to the blue line and make the club’s defensive corps much deeper than it’s been all season. Meanwhile, Marc-Andre Fleury enjoyed an excellent year with a 2.37 goals-against average and five shutouts in his 39 wins. If he can keep it together in the playoff pressure cooker, the Pens will be a tough out.

Other NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Preview and Picks:

Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Anaheim Ducks vs. Dallas Stars

New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings

Columbus Blue Jackets:

The Blue Jackets are a tough, scrappy young team to play against. Ryan Johansen had a breakout year with 63 points and Brandon Dubinsky had a great two-way season with 50 points while he played against the opposition’s top centre on most nights. They have a ton of potential and have a balanced attack but lack the game-breakers that the Penguins have. The Blue Jackets play a hard forechecking game. They need to win the majority of puck battles to be successful and limit the time they spend in their own zone. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has mopped up many of those miscues and should be a finalist for the Vezina Trophy with a .923 save percentage and a 2.38 goals-against average despite seeing about 31 shots per game. He’ll need to be at least that good to give Columbus a shot against the Pens.

Key factors:

This series comes down to goaltending. If Marc-Andre Fleury avoids his semi-annual collapse, Pittsburgh should make this a short series. However, if anybody can steal a series, it’s Bobrovsky. Columbus needs to capitalize on its power-play opportunities and walk the fine line between aggression and discipline. That’s going to be tough.

Prediction:

The Blue Jackets have a bright future, but they’re not ready yet. Pittsburgh just has too much firepower and getting some key players back at this time of the year will be a major boost.

Pick: Pittsburgh wins in five games.

Results:

Game 1: 4-3 Pittsburgh

Game 2: 4-3 Columbus (OT)

Game 3: 4-3 Pittsburgh

Game 4: 4-3 Columbus (OT)

Game 5: 3-1 Pittsburgh

Game 6: 4-3 Pittsburgh