Pittsburgh 4, Blue Jackets 2
Neither a pair of favorable calls nor a new addition to the roster could save Columbus from falling to an 18-37-7 record.
On Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, the defensive presence of recently acquired Jack Johnson did not faze the Penguins, who coasted to a 4-2 victory against the Blue Jackets.
Pittsburgh, led by the NHL-leading scorer, Evgeni Malkin, controlled the entire game, but didn’t start their offensive onslaught until the third period. In the final 20 minutes of the game, the Penguins had three goals in addition to two disallowed tallies.
Curtis Sanford was given an unpleasant welcome back after missing seven games with an injury. Returning to the crease, Sanford turned aside 36 shots, though as the game wore on, his play crumbled.
In an otherwise uneventful game for Columbus, Rick Nash picked up what might have been his last goal as a member of the Blue Jackets at 9:59 of the second period.
Shorthanded, Nikita Nikitin sent a clearing attempt from the defensive zone off the sideboards. The puck careened off the boards and bounced out to center ice where Nash took possession and buried the shorthanded opportunity.
The Penguins tied the game nearly ten minutes later when Malkin scored in the waning moments of the period to make it 1-1.
Shortly after the goal, Nikitin sent a slap shot off the post before time expired, but the attempt did not yield another goal.
Emotions were calm for the majority of the game until the officials drew the ire of the Pittsburgh’s bench after a pair of disallowed goals.
The first goal, waived off initially due to the goal-scorer’s distinct kicking motion, was rightfully upheld. The officials’ second decision, incidental contact with the goalie, left the Penguins more upset.
Close to the midway point of the third period, Pittsburgh finally made it 3-1 with a goal that needed no official review.
After the Penguins scored again, Vinny Prospal marked for Columbus, but the game would hold no more scoring.
Jack Johnson, making his debut as a Blue Jacket, logged 23:29 of time on ice.
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