Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) blocks a shot in the first overtime period of a first-round NHL playoff hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Pittsburgh, Saturday, April 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (The Associated Press)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After an injury-filled regular season, about the last thing the Pittsburgh Penguins needed or expected was a major struggle early in the playoffs.
Yet that is exactly what they're getting from the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blue Jackets, a cellar-dweller for many of their first 12 seasons, shocked the mighty Penguins 4-3 in two overtimes on Saturday night to tie their first-round Stanley Cup series at a game apiece. Now the Penguins, under fire from media and fans in their hometown due to their own recent failures in the postseason, must find a way to turn things around on Monday night in Game 3.
A rollicking capacity crowd will be lying in wait in Columbus for only the third home playoff game in Blue Jackets history.
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