For the first time this season, the Penguins got a taste of the shit sandwich they’ve become accustomed to feeding teams in the third periods of games.
While the 5 Columbus fans will cling to this win for a couple of years, the best part is still yet to come: the inevitable Blue Jackets collapse in the second half of the season where they miss the playoffs by about 3 points.
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The most exciting part of this matchup is it's gonna end with both fan bases completely overreacting to the result
— Meesh (@MeeshS17) December 22, 2016
FIRST PERIOD
It took under 3 minutes for Crosby to score his 23rd goal of the season after Cole made a really nice play (again) at the blue line to hold the puck in and get it to the net. 1-0
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Like, he literally chipped the puck over Bob and batted it out of the goddamn air are you fucking kidding me?! Unreal stuff. Literally the only positive takeaway from this shitshow.
Halfway through the period, with shots sitting at 7-1 Pens, Ian Cole would undo his great play to hold the puck in on the goal by taking a double minor high sticking penalty. They would kill off over half of it, but the sentence trails off… 1-1
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Dumoulin prob learned that from Scuderi
— Meesh (@MeeshS17) December 23, 2016
The Pens still controlled the play as the period wore on, but almost went into the first intermission down a goal courtesy of Derrick Pouliot treating the NHL like it’s the WHL. But for the second game in a row, M&M had one moment, one opportunity to seize everything he ever wanted. He captured it and didn’t let it slip.
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Pens took a 10-6 shot advantage into the locker room, but the second half of the period was all Jackets. The extended PP really helped them settle into the game and turn it in their favor. But at the end of the day, Ohio is still a trash state.
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SECOND PERIOD
CBJ carried that end-of-period surge into the 2nd frame before the ref gifted the Pens with a wrongly awarded PP after Dumoulin’s twig caught Crosby in the chops. Jackets probably had more chances shorthanded than the Pens had with the man advantage.
Following Hartnell being released from his cage, Boone Jenner and Steve Oleksy dropped the mitts for some fisticuffs on a decent little scrap.
Probably give the edge to Boone, much like the rest of the second for the Jackets. And, midway through, they’d take the lead.
After hemming the Crosby unit with Dumoulin and Pouliot in their own zone, they got to work. Gagner out-muscled Dumo behind the net and made a desperation play to get the puck to the front of the cage for Karlsson to one pump chump it top shelf. 2-1
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Strange sequence following the goal worth noting if only for the oddity that it was. Puck went in so quickly that the refs didn’t catch it. Goal light went on, which isn’t abnormal. But then like 13 seconds later, the Jackets in-house staff turned on the spot lights and goal song, effectively making the refs stop play to review and award the goal.
Two minutes later, Pouliot and Hartnell would show back up once more. On a fairly innocuous pass to the point from Bonino down low, Hartnell would get his stick on it. Pouliot would try to make a play on the airborne puck, then got smoked by the 34 year old. 3-1
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About a minute later, the Pens looked like they were about to head to the PK yet again after Oleksy caught Hartnell up high. They probably should’ve gone down 2 when Cullen flipped the puck at Hartnell, but Hartnell just cannot turn it off against the birds.
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CBJ would take a 12-6 SOG advantage from the 2nd frame. But that’d be the closest this game was.
THIRD PERIOD
After all of those 3rd periods where the Penguins just teabagged whomever they were playing, the tables would turn just 2:44 into the period.
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6-1.
Three goals in 51 seconds. MAF would relieve Murray. Oleksy would take another penalty. Torts would throw out his top PP unit because he’s a piece of shit, and Hartnell would get his hatty. Seven straight goals for the Jackets after 87 opened the scoring. 7-1
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RANDOM NOTES
- Mark February 3 on your calendars. The Pens will be coming.
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pens only have four months to regroup from this devastating loss
— rich (@richtweetshere) December 23, 2016
Another Metro division matchup tonight as the Pens play host to the Devils. Redemption city. Go Pens.
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