Kent Johnson slammed home the only goal in the shootout Friday night, sending the Columbus Blue Jackets to a tight 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. This one was a battle, and man, did one goalie ever stand on his head.
Blue Jackets Unleash the Offense
Columbus absolutely *pummeled* Pittsburgh with shots, ending up with a wild 45-22 advantage. Seriously, that’s more than double the attempts! They also dominated faceoffs, winning a crushing 66.7% of them, and threw their weight around with a 21-9 hit advantage. It’s clear who was dictating the pace of this game. Damon Severson put one in the net and picked up an assist for the Jackets. Mathieu Olivier also scored, and Cole Sillinger chipped in with two assists, showing that Columbus offense was coming from a few different guys. Cam Talbot was solid in goal for the Blue Jackets, making 20 saves in regulation and shutting down all three Pittsburgh attempts in the decisive shootout.
Murashov’s Heroics Wasted as Penguins Slump
For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust both found the back of the net. Malkin actually tied the game at 2-all just over three minutes into the third period, which had to feel like a momentum swing. But the real story for the Penguins was Sergei Murashov, who put on an absolute clinic with 43 saves in regulation! Forty-three stops! You absolutely hate to see a goalie play like that and still take the loss. Despite Murashov’s insane effort, Pittsburgh’s blocking 20 shots wasn’t enough to make up for getting completely outshot and outhit. This loss makes it three straight for the Penguins, after they kicked off the season with two wins. This slump is getting rough, fast.
Pittsburgh has to turn things around quick before this early slide defines their season. They host the Dallas Stars on Saturday, needing a serious bounce-back. The Blue Jackets, riding this shootout win, are headed to St. Louis to face the Blues on Saturday, looking to keep that momentum rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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