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Pittsburgh Penguins Aiming to Take Out the Columbus Blue Jackets

By Shane Lunnen

Mar 31, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) talks with Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) during the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) talks with Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) during the first period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Columbus Blue Jackets roll into Pittsburgh Tuesday night in a critical Metropolitan Division matchup

The final home game of the Pittsburgh Penguins regular season is Tuesday night and it’s a big one as they will welcome the Blue Jackets to PPG Paints Arena.  The NHL schedule makers probably were not envisioning this as a crucial game when they were formulating the schedule before the season. However the game is now an enticing matchup.

Pittsburgh enters the game just one point ahead of the Columbus.  With only four games left and a healthy first place lead for the Washington Capitals, it’s looking highly likely that these two teams will face each other in the first round of the NHL playoffs so this game is crucial to both team’s desire to have home ice advantage in the first round.  The Pens are on a two game win streak while the Jackets are on a three game losing skid.

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The Penguins have had a clear home ice advantage this year, their record being 30-6-4 at home.   They certainly want to have home ice for at least the first round.  Columbus has won two out of the three matchups between the clubs this year and this will be the last regular season matchup between them.

Injuries Have Hindered the Pittsburgh Penguins This Season

Head coach Mike Sullivan and his staff have weathered a ton of injuries this year, the latest occurring to forward Chris Kunitz against the New York Rangers last Friday night.  They are also still without stars Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin in addition to several other players.  There is no word on when or if they will return so many Penguins fans are starting to wonder about the team’s chances to repeat as Stanley Cup champions once the playoffs start next week.

Despite the team’s injury bug this year, they are still a force especially on the offensive side of the puck.  The team still leads the league in goals per game, scoring 3.4 per game.  Captain Sidney Crosby is on a tear as of late, scoring 14 points in his last 12 games.

Every team in the league deals with injuries and the Penguins are not using it as an excuse.  No matter the makeup of their roster, the Penguins should never be counted out of a game and Tuesday night will be no different.  One game at a time and keep winning, boys.

The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday night and can be seen on ROOT Sports locally in the Pittsburgh area.  The fans in attendance should be extra fired up for this one as it is the popular Fan Appreciation Night.

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