PITTSBURGH -- Columbus coach Todd Richards insists his upstart team isnt in the playoffs "just to go to school.
Andrelton Simmons Angels Jersey ." Maybe, but the Pittsburgh Penguins provided a pretty valuable lesson in perseverance during
a 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday
night. Down two after 21 minutes of slow and sometimes sloppy hockey, the
Metropolitan Division champions responded by scoring the final three goals,
including Brandon Sutters go-ahead wrist shot 8:18 into the third period. "I
think we expected a tight game," Sutter said after the third playoff goal of his
career. "They got up and we stuck with it. It was a good win." One that came
with more than a few tense moments. Beau Bennett and Matt Niskanen scored
power-play goals 45 seconds apart in the second period, erasing Pittsburghs
two-goal deficit. Jussi Jokinen also scored for the Penguins and
Marc-Andre Fleury overcame some shaky defence in front of him to stop 31 shots.
Game 2 is Saturday night. "We have to learn from it but we found a way to win,"
Pittsburgh forward Sidney Crosby said. "Obviously we didnt start the way we
wanted, getting down two goals. I think we have to clean up some things." If
not, a series expected to be a romp could turn into something else entirely.
Jack Johnson, Mark Letestu and Derek Mackenzie scored for the Blue Jackets, who
remain in search of their first-ever playoff win. Sergei Bobrovsky finished with
28 saves but was handcuffed by Sutters knuckler at the end of a 2-on-1 break.
"Ive seen Bob make that save a thousand times," Richards said. "It just got by
him." The Blue Jackets insisted they wouldnt be intimidated despite Pittsburghs
overwhelming edge in playoff experience and star power. The Penguins swept the
five regular-season meetings between the teams, but Columbus surged after the
Olympic break, rising to the seventh seed in the East while the injury-riddled
Penguins coasted to a division title. If the NHLs youngest team was scared by
the stage, it hardly showed. Johnson gave the Blue Jackets their first-ever
post-season lead 6:20 into the game. He charged to the front of the net, got a
feed from Brandon Dubinsky and beat Fleury with a beautiful deke from forehand
to backhand. The Penguins answered with 2:51 left in the first when
Evgeni Malkin -- returning after missing three weeks with a foot injury -- took
advantage of a turnover by Fedor Tyutin and hit Jokinen in the slot. The
knuckling wrist shot sailed over Bobrovskys right shoulder and Pittsburgh
exhaled. But only briefly. With Pittsburgh defenceman Rob Scuderi off for
interference, the Blue Jackets went back in front 2-1 when Letestu jammed home a
rebound and sent Columbus soaring into the dressing room. "People were wondering
how we would start the game with our inexperience, but we were pretty
comfortable after the first period with a 2-1 lead and maybe let off the gas,"
Columbus centre Ryan Johansen said. Mackenzie got loose for a breakaway
short-handed goal, pushing the advantage to 3-1 just 43 seconds into the second.
But Columbus momentum then vanished against the leagues top power play. Bennett
tipped in a Niskanen slap shot 51 seconds after Mackenzie scored. Johnson was
quickly whistled for interference and Niskanen needed only 10 seconds to even
the game with a snap shot from the left circle. Things settled down after the
five goals in 5 minutes flurry, though Columbus didnt exactly fold. The Blue
Jackets carried play at times in the first two periods. The Penguins righted
themselves in the third. The miscues that plagued them for the first 40 minutes
disappeared, replaced by the kind of responsible play they know theyll need to
make a serious run at the franchises fourth Stanley Cup. "Nobody panicked,"
Fleury said. "The power play was huge for us like it has been all season. It got
us back in the game and from then we were in good shape." NOTES: Pittsburgh is
10-3 in its last 13 Game 1s played on home ice. ... The Blue Jackets scratched
forwards R.J. Umberger (upper body) and Nick Foligno (lower body), though coach
Todd Richards said both players could be available for Game 2. ... Crosby
assisted on Niskanens goal to give him 106 career points in the post-season,
tied with Kevin Stevens for third on the franchise list.
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