Blue Jackets win in OT to knot series
4/24/2014COLUMBUS — Brandon Dubinsky scored with 22.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and Nick Foligno's wrist shot just inside the blue line 2:49 into the extra session gave the Columbus Blue Jackets a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
The Blue Jackets overcame a 3-0 deficit for their first home playoff victory in the franchise's 13 seasons, sending the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 Saturday night tied at 2.
Craig Adams, Chris Kunitz, James Neal scored in a span of 5:01 of the first period to stake the Penguins to a 3-0 lead. But Ryan Johansen and Dubinsky each had a goal and an assist and Boone Jenner also scored for Columbus, making only its second postseason trip.
It was the fourth time in the series that the team that scored first — and also went on to hold a 3-1 lead — lost.
With the Penguins hanging on to a 3-2 lead in the third period, Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made a big save on Matt Calvert's second shot in a flurry. Calvert later got behind Brooks Orpik on a breakaway and his forehand clanged off the crossbar, setting off a loud groan in the arena.
But Fleury was the culprit when he went behind the cage to handle Jack Johnson's pass around the boards in the final minute. He whiffed trying to handle the puck and was stuck out of position, allowing Johansen to slide a centering pass through the crease where Dubinsky netted it with 22.5 seconds left.
What followed was the loudest sound heard in the Blue Jackets' mostly dismal 13 seasons.
In the overtime, the Blue Jackets had the best of it — as they had for all but the start.
Foligno carried the puck through the neutral zone and was just across the blue line when he fired a low wrister that he tucked under Fleury's glove. As the players piled on top of Foligno, the crowd went crazy.
Fleury finished with 42 saves. His Columbus counterpart, Sergei Bobrovsky, also was spectacular at times with 22 saves.
The Penguins rolled to a quick 3-0 lead and ended up with a 3-1 lead.
Just 11 seconds after Jussi Jokinen was called for hooking, the Penguins took advantage of a James Wisniewski turnover near the blue line with Brandon Sutter carrying the puck through the neutral zone on a 2-on-1 break with Adams. Sutter flipped a backhander to Adams, whose rising shot from the right circle beat Bobrovsky high on the stick side at the 6:09 mark.
Pittsburgh quieted a loud capacity crowd with two goals in the span of 33 seconds in the opening period.
On the power play, Niskanen's rocket from the right point was redirected by Kunitz. Before the details of that goal could be announced, the Penguins won another faceoff in the offensive zone and Jokinen tapped to Neal, who unloaded a hard one-timer past Bobrovsky.
STARS 4, DUCKS 2
DALLAS — Cody Eakin and Alex Goligoski scored on Dallas' first two shots in the third period and the Stars beat top-seeded Anaheim to even the series at 2.
The Ducks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Bryan Allen and Patrick Maroon.
Dallas captain Jaime Benn scored off a faceoff only 27 seconds into the second period, his third goal in the series.