PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* TOTAL DOMINATION >> 40-25-3 Past 13 Days!
(NHL) Pittsburgh vs. Columbus,
Total: 5.50 | -145.00 Under
Result: Win
Total: 5.50 | -145.00 Under
Result: Win
The Pittsburgh Penguins (defending champs) have opened a 2-0 series lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets, winning Games 1 and 2 in Pittsburgh, 3-1 and 4-1. The Penguins ranked first in goal scored (3.39) during the regular season, while Columbus wasn't too far behind at 2.96 GPG, to rank 6th. However, Columbus has scored just one goal in each of the first two games, with Pittsburgh's Fluery turning away 70 of 72 shots.
Pittsburgh: The "HBK Line" was all the rage last spring as Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel catapulted Pittsburgh on its way to its fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history. This time, it's the tentatively titled line of "Sid and the Kids" consisting of Crosby, rookie Jake Guentzel and second-year forward Conor Sheary that has captured the hearts of the Steel City following a six-point performance (two goals, four assists) and 10 shots on goal Friday. Crosby has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in his last 17 games overall. He's the 57th player in NHL history to reach 50 postseason goals and has 140 points in 126 playoff contests.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets have not had much luck denting Fluery plus Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has seen his late-season swoon continue. He's now 0-5-0 with an .879 save percentage in April. It's a "must win" for Columbus in Game 3. The Blue Jackets beat the Penguins there twice here in Nationwide Arena during the regular season but they don't look like the the same team that won 16 consecutive games from Nov. 29th through Jan. 3rd, on the way to the fourth-best record in the NHL during the regular season.
The pick: However, there seems to be no panic in the Blue Jackets. Captain Nick Foligno said, "I can say it was probably the weirdest ride home, only that we're down 2-0 and obviously not really enjoying the situation we're in, but the optimism in our room is incredible and how we feel about our game," talking to NHL.com. "That's a great team over there and I'm not discrediting what they're doing, but there's so much good we're doing that it's going to break for us eventually." Hard to argue with that. The Blue Jackets have attacked the Penguins in the offensive zone and often controlled play but their shots have just simply not found the back of the net. I expect that to change here on home ice but keeping Crosby and Co. off the scoreboard is another thing. Make the Over a 10* play.
Pittsburgh: The "HBK Line" was all the rage last spring as Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel catapulted Pittsburgh on its way to its fourth Stanley Cup title in franchise history. This time, it's the tentatively titled line of "Sid and the Kids" consisting of Crosby, rookie Jake Guentzel and second-year forward Conor Sheary that has captured the hearts of the Steel City following a six-point performance (two goals, four assists) and 10 shots on goal Friday. Crosby has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in his last 17 games overall. He's the 57th player in NHL history to reach 50 postseason goals and has 140 points in 126 playoff contests.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets have not had much luck denting Fluery plus Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has seen his late-season swoon continue. He's now 0-5-0 with an .879 save percentage in April. It's a "must win" for Columbus in Game 3. The Blue Jackets beat the Penguins there twice here in Nationwide Arena during the regular season but they don't look like the the same team that won 16 consecutive games from Nov. 29th through Jan. 3rd, on the way to the fourth-best record in the NHL during the regular season.
The pick: However, there seems to be no panic in the Blue Jackets. Captain Nick Foligno said, "I can say it was probably the weirdest ride home, only that we're down 2-0 and obviously not really enjoying the situation we're in, but the optimism in our room is incredible and how we feel about our game," talking to NHL.com. "That's a great team over there and I'm not discrediting what they're doing, but there's so much good we're doing that it's going to break for us eventually." Hard to argue with that. The Blue Jackets have attacked the Penguins in the offensive zone and often controlled play but their shots have just simply not found the back of the net. I expect that to change here on home ice but keeping Crosby and Co. off the scoreboard is another thing. Make the Over a 10* play.
