Pens End Regular Season on High Note with 5-3 Win over Blue Jackets

Recap by Featured Penguins Contributor Patricia Beninato

In a different world, the NHL would be finishing up the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Instead, it ended its regular season. The Penguins, fortunately, finished on a high note, defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-3 at PPG Paints Arena.

Despite Mike Sullivan’s hype, CBJ basically fell off the postseason radar about mid-season and never returned, despite the presence of guys like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Patrik Laine, and late pickup Jakub Voracek. The lack of hope showed when Brad Lawson decided to start rarely-used J-F Berube in this game. Evgeni Malkin didn’t take long to take advantage of a guy who’s only been in an NHL cage six times this season, scoring a definitive wrister at 3:51 in the first period, helped out by Marcus Pettersson and Danton Heinen. This was Geno’s twentieth goal of the year, and considering how much time he missed because of injury and illness, it’s nice to be reminded that Geno is still score.

At 5:31, Evan Rodrigues remembered that he knows how to score, too, catching a Jake Guentzel-powered bounce off CBJ’s Justin Danforth and slicing it over Berube’s right pad for a 2-0 Pens lead. Less than a minute later, Marcus Pettersson channeled his inner Kris Letang and got his second goal of the year, with Geno and Brian Boyle on the assist.

Tanger and Big Bryan got the fourth and fifth Pens goals in the second period, and that proved to be it for Pittsburgh scoring. CBJ mounted a bit of a comeback, with Danforth scoring in the second and Bjorkstrand and Gustav Nyquist in the third. The latter two goals, however, came on the power play. Remember when the Pens’ PK was an object of awe and fear? Not if you can’t keep a lesser team from scoring on it not once, but twice.

Now that the playoffs are here--and bringing the Rangers with them--we need to ask some questions, most notably if Casey DeSmith can step up between the pipes while Tristan Jarry recovers from his foot injury. DeSmith’s played fairly well this season. He looks confident, and the playoffs are always a chance to show what you can do. I worry more about the D, what with allowing a unsettling amount of short-handed setups and being able to be drawn off goal a little too easily. Help your goalie, kids, don’t hinder him. 

Anything can happen in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That the Penguins have always managed  to get into the postseason for the last sixteen years is commendable. However, they haven’t gotten past the first round since 2018--and the Rangers are good.

Take a deep breath, and let the dance begin.