Game 79 Scouting Report: The Blue Jackets Take on Pittsburgh in a Battle for Playoff Home Ice

Columbus Blue Jackets (49-21-8) at Pittsburgh Penguins (48-19-11)

TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2017, 7 p.m. (PPG PAINTS ARENA)

In many ways, this is a vintage Pittsburgh Penguins squad, which is saying a lot.

High scoring? Check. The Penguins average 3.36 goals per game, most in the league, and are potting 3.80 tallies per home game. 

In the playoff race? Yep. With 107 points, Pittsburgh is second in the Metro Division, five points behind Washington for the best record in the league. In fact, the Pens have the fourth-most points in franchise history and can tie second with a win tonight vs. the Jackets.

But what stands out is just how much Columbus has been able to keep pace. Even with their current scoring slump, the Jackets have 3.06 goals per game, sixth in the league behind the Pens.

Columbus is also just one point behind Pittsburgh, a four-time Stanley Cup winner in the midst of a historic regular season of its own. Another place the two are comparable – each has 18 wins against Metro Division opponents, tied atop a division that will soon begin to cannibalize itself in playoff action.

And as most know, this is likely a first-round playoff preview, with the teams all but assured of facing off. Home ice remains on the line, and the Penguins see the game as a big one.

“It seems like every team we’re playing against is a team that’s playing for something,” Penguins goalie Matt Murray said. “Whether they’re in a close race for the playoffs, or if it’s a team in our division that we’re in the race with for home ice or whatever it may be.

“All these games really have a lot on the line. I think that’s good for us heading into the playoffs because it gives us the right mindset that we need to carry game in and game out.”

The Penguins enter on a mini win streak following a 4-3 shootout win Friday at the New York Rangers and a 3-2 home victory Sunday vs. Carolina. Prior to that, Pittsburgh had lost consecutive home games by a combined 11-3 margin vs. Philadelphia and Chicago following OT losses to Ottawa and the Islanders.

You Oughta Know: Conor Sheary

A year ago, Sheary debuted with a 7-3-10 line in 44 games two years after completing a four-year career at UMass in which he peaked with 35 points. Not exactly the kind of stuff that stardom would predict, but Sheary has been one of the top scorers on the Penguins this season with 22 goals and 30 assists in 58 games. The 5-8 winger was particularly hot while playing on a line with Sidney Crosby in March, posting four goals and 12 assists in games.

[Fire Emoji] Right Now

• Jake Guentzel missed four games to injury in March but sandwiched his malady with hot play. He has scored in each game since his return and six goals, six assists in his last 11 games.
• Sidney Crosby leads the league with 43 goals and is hoping to win his second Rocket Richard Trophy.
• Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury had a 2.33 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in seven March appearances.

Five Fast Facts

• Pittsburgh’s win Sunday against Carolina marked the third time in club history the Pens have reached 30 home wins in a single season (32 in 1995-96 and 1992-93). Pittsburgh’s 64 home points this season are tied for second-most in franchise history behind the 68 earned in 1992-93.
• On Sunday night, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins clinched their 15th-straight playoff berth, extending the longest active run in the American Hockey League. That gives the Pittsburgh organization the longest playoff streaks in each of North America’s top professional leagues, as the Penguins current 11-year run is the longest NHL streak.
• Mike Sullivan set a team record for the most wins by a Pens head coach in his first full season on the job with 48 following Sunday’s win against Carolina.
• Injuries: Pittsburgh has lost 264 man-games to injury and has been banged up of late. The team's media release lists the following players as injured with consecutive games missed in parentheses: D Trevor Daley, knee (19); F Carl Hagelin, lower body (12); F Chris Kunitz, lower body (1); D Kris Letang, upper body (19); D Olli Maatta, hand (22); F Evgeni Malkin, upper body (9); F Tom Sestito, upper body (7).
• Former Jackets: Two former Blue Jackets are on the active roster in forward Tom Sestito and defenseman Ron Hainsey. Sestito played in parts of three seasons with the Jackets from 2008-11 with two goals and two assists in 13 games along with 64 penalty minutes. Hainsey played three seasons in Columbus from 2006-08, suiting up in 213 games with 19 goals and 64 assists.

Previous Matchups

THIS YEAR: Dec. 22: CBJ 7, PIT 1

Feb. 3: PIT 4, CBJ 3 (OT)

Feb. 17: CBJ 2, PIT 1 (OT)

ALL TIME SERIES: Columbus trails 12-14-4

Keys to the Game

Play Defense: Columbus has scored just 11 goals in the past seven games, so we're talking defense? Yes. Head coach John Tortorella said the team can't press for goals to break out of the offensive slump or else the puck will end up in the back of its own net. That's especially true against a team like Pittsburgh.

Affect Crosby: This, of course, is often the domain of Brandon Dubinsky, the Jackets forward who has become known as public enemy No. 1 in Pittsburgh for his ability to get under the star's skin. The thing is, it has often worked. 

Take Advantage: Columbus seems to like playing Pittsburgh, with the games' combative nature playing into the Jackets' physical play. It's time for the Jackets to embrace that style of play, especially against a short-handed Pens team.

Penguins Projected Lineup

10 Stats to Know

Impress your friends and enemies alike with these 10 key Pittsburgh Penguins stats.