The Columbus Blue Jackets let an early 2-0 lead slip away Monday night, as they dropped game three 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The loss puts Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 in the overall series.
Coming off the first playoff win in franchise history, the Blue Jackets started fast when Boone Jenner scored his first ever playoff goal just a minute and thirty-eight seconds into the game to put the CBJ up 1-0. The goal made for the third consecutive game with a point for Jenner. The Blue Jackets continued their momentum two minutes later when Jack Johnson scored his third goal of the series to put the Jackets up 2-0. Throughout the rest of the period the Jackets battled off three Power Plays to hold onto the 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Despite having to fight off three more Power Plays in the second period, Columbus contained Pittsburgh for nearly the entire twenty-minutes. However, with just 1.8 seconds remaining in the period, Brooks Orpik scored for the Penguins to put the game at 2-1 heading into the second intermission.
The goal to end the second period seemed like it might take the energy out of the team and the crowd, however, Columbus quickly regained the momentum just one minute and four seconds into the third period off Cam Atkinson’s first career playoff goal to make it 3-1.
Pittsburgh answered five minutes later, though, to bring the score within one again, 3-2. Things began to fall apart from there. Just over a minute after drawing the score to within one, Lee Stempniak tied the game up for the Penguins. Then, just over another minute later, Pittsburgh took the lead 4-3 when an Olli Maatta shot deflected off Blue Jackets’ defender James Wisniewski and into the net.
Columbus had a few chances to tie the score, including a Power Play opportunity with four minutes left in the game, of which they were unable to take advantage. The Jackets pulled Sergei Bobrovsky from goal in the final minute in a last-ditch effort, but were unable to score.
Overall, the Penguins outshot the Blue Jackets 41-20.
The 4-3 final is the same score as each of the previous two games of the series. In each case, the team that led 3-1 to start ended up losing.
The Jackets look to bounce back in Game Four on Wednesday, April 23rd at 7:00pm at Nationwide Arena.
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