CBJ vs PIT - FIRST ROUND SERIES RECAP

CBJ vs PIT - FIRST ROUND SERIES RECAP

The Blue Jackets entered the first round of the RHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against their Metropolitan Division rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Jackets came into the series with home ice advantage, finishing 13 points above the Penguins in the regular season standings, which was good enough for second in their division. However, after going winless against Pittsburgh, in a lopsided 0-4 regular season record against the Penguins, including a 3-1 defeat in the final game of the regular season, the Blue Jackets knew they would have a tough battle on their hands to move into the second round. That proved to be true as it was a slug-fest between the two teams who went the distance, needing all 7 games to decide the series winner, much like two champion boxers matching each other blow for blow over a 10 round title-bout. Ultimately, the home ice advantage proved to be a crucial decider in the series, with the home team winning each game throughout the series.

Playing on home ice, the Blue Jackets got their first win of the season against the Penguins in the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, winning 4-2. The Jackets offense was led by third line center Evan Rodrigues, who the Jackets brought in through free agency this offseason, scoring two goals on the night, which also netted him first-star honors in the game. The second star of the night was rookie standout, Matty Beniers. Beniers got the primary helper on each of Rodrigues' goals, setting up the first game tying goal as the Penguins had jumped out to an early 1-0 first period lead, and the third goal of the night, which was ultimately the game winner for the Jackets. Carl Hagelin was able to net an insurance goal with about six minutes remaining in the third period to seal the victory and also took home third-star honors. Surprisingly enough, Jackets goaltender Darcy Kuemper didn't factor into the stars of the game, even though he posted a stellar .931 SV%, stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced. 

The story of the bottom six being the difference would continue throughout the series with fourth line standout, Nick Paul, scoring six points over the seven game series. Paul finished with two goals and four assists on the series to lead the Jackets in scoring. Matthew Beniers followed closely behind, with a goal and four assists for five points over the seven games. Though not always a great indicator of a player's true value to their team, a quick glance at the plus minus stats would show that the fourth line of the Blue Jackets had the most impact on the series, with those players finishing with the highest numbers amongst the team. The Jacket's fourth line came in at a combined +10 on the series which truly made the difference when compared against the rest of the team. The top line of Zibanejad, Thompson, and Svechnikov, and third line of Evan Rodrigues, Matty Beniers, and Ondrej Kase didn't move the needle much, each finishing at a combined -1. The second line of Nazem Kadri, Brandon Hagel, and Kevin Hayes had a team worst combined -7, and were clearly the weakest group of the bunch. 

Inevitably, the team's bottom six and goaltending were the difference over the course of the seven game series and carried the team's usual top performers to victory. Columbus' top goaltender, Darcy Kuemper, started all seven games for the Jackets, finishing the series with a .925 SV% and a 2.38 GAA. While those numbers both came in slightly below his stellar regular season numbers, it was enough to backstop the team to a second round matchup with the New Jersey Devils. Another Metro Division rival, the Devils ended the Blue Jackets' playoff hopes last season in the second round before eventually going on to win the Stanley Cup. Will the Jackets be able to slay the reigning champion to move on to the Conference Finals? Or will they repeat their fate of the 21-22 playoffs, which saw the team come up short of their ultimate goal of a second Stanley Cup victory under longtime GM MixtureBill? Tune in to the second round for more thrilling action from the Union Blue!