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Pittsburgh Penguins Take 2-0 Lead Over Columbus Blue Jackets, But Don’t Get Too Comfortable

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Apr 14, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) reacts to a goal by Pens center Evgeni Malkin (not pictured) as Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and defenseman Jack Johnson (7) look on during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 14, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) reacts to a goal by Pens center Evgeni Malkin (not pictured) as Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and defenseman Jack Johnson (7) look on during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena. The Penguins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Pittsburgh Penguins won game two of their round one series against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday with a score of 4-1.

In a high-tempo, emotion-filled game, the Pittsburgh Penguins came out ready to play. Coming in with a 1-0 series lead, the boys were looking to get a good hold on Columbus in the series, and that’s exactly what they did.

Here’s a look at some of the game’s highlights,

First Period

The game started off quick right off the bat with a lot of great action on both ends of the ice. Early in the frame Columbus piled the shots on, but Marc-Andre Fleury made some impressive saves to keep it scoreless.

Nearly halfway through the period, Conor Sheary made a great chase for the puck in the offensive zone, beating Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to the puck. He was able to dish the puck out to Sidney Crosby in front of the net who tapped it in for a goal. 1-0 Penguins.

Second Period

The second period brought many great saves by Fleury in the beginning. Good thing we still have him huh?

Brandon Saad soon tied the game for the Blue Jackets, but it wasn’t long until Jake Guentzel gave the Penguins the lead again on a great 2-on-1. The period closed out with the Penguins holding a 2-1 lead.

Third Period

Right off the bat the Penguins came in strong and capitalized on the power play. Evgeni Malkin snuck around to the side of the net and sniped a one-timer past Bobrovsky. 3-1 good guys.

After a few more gigantic saves from Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins iced the game with an empty-net goal from Patric Hornqvist. Penguins take it 4-1.

Dirty Play

But wait. Right when you think the game is about over it just takes an ugly, unexpected turn.

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert lost his temper and delivered a cheap shot on Tom Kuhnhackl. He broke his stick against Kuhnhackl’s back with a vicious cross-check, and then delivered another cheap hit for enforcement.

Talk about a sore loser. In the dying moments of the game he really can’t accept defeat. Although he was given a two-minute minor penalty for cross-checking, expect a suspension coming his way.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins /

Pittsburgh Penguins

Player of the Game: Sidney Crosby

The best player of the game was no doubt Sidney Crosby. He was everywhere he needed to be on the ice, and as a result he picked up three points (one goal, two assists). Impressive job all around from our captain.

Don’t Get Too Comfortable

We won. Awesome! But I just want to say, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. A 2-0 lead is amazing, but it’s still a seven game series until we take the four games.

Columbus is a big, strong, deep team that surprised many in the season. They can surprise the Penguins too if we let them catch us off guard. Let’s not give them this chance and keep playing the way we have been. If both the fans and the players,stay focused,  the Pittsburgh Penguins will no doubt be able to take this series easily.

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