The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t quite what they used to be. But, for the Columbus Blue Jackets to salvage their epically awful five-game road trip, there’s no more difficult opponent, and no worse spot on Earth than PPG Paints Arena.
The Blue Jackets allowed the go-ahead goal only 35 seconds into the third period on Thursday, losing 3-2 before an announced crowd of 18,191. It marked the 15th consecutive loss for the Blue Jackets (0-10-5) since they last won in Pittsburgh on Nov. 13, 2015.
“(It’s been) three years of my time and a long time for other guys,” Blue Jackets third-year center Cole Sillinger said. “We’ve had new faces here that were playing their first game in this barn, so it would have been nice to change the story.”
It’s the NHL’s longest active road losing streak by one team in a road city, and the sixth-longest in the NHL’s salary cap era, which began with the 2005-06 season. A whopping 133 different players have worn a Blue Jackets sweater since they last blared music in the Steel City’s visitor’s dressing room after a game.
The last time the Blue Jackets won in Pittsburgh…
- Barack Obama was the U.S. president.
- John Tortorella was three weeks and 10 games into his tenure as the Blue Jackets’ coach.
- The only player still on the Blue Jackets roster is captain Boone Jenner, who has played in 14 of those 15 losses.
- PPG Paints Arena was known as the Consol Energy Center.
Then again, winning anywhere is difficult for the Blue Jackets these days.
Tuesday’s game completed a long, winding and winless five-game road trip that started in Detroit nine days ago and wound through Denver, Las Vegas and Arizona before ending in Pittsburgh. The Jackets managed to lose every game (0-4-1) despite scoring first in all of them.
The ugliness distilled: On this road trip, the Blue Jackets were outscored 21-5 after the first period.
The Jackets have now lost six in a row overall, their second-longest skid of the season, surpassed only by a nine-game losing streak that derailed the season way back in November. Overall, the Jackets have just one win in their last 10 games (1-7-2), with that lone win coming against the NHL’s worst team, the San Jose Sharks.
It certainly doesn’t help that the Blue Jackets are using bubble gum and duct tape to put together their lineup these days, filling out their third and fourth lines with players recalled from AHL Cleveland. There are currently six lineup regulars on the shelf with injuries.
SILLY STRIKES ONE IN 💥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/OskWUGWXOs
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 29, 2024
Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent challenged his players before and after the morning skate on Thursday, he said, stressing to them the need to handle adversity the correct way.
“How we deal with adversity is a really good indicator of who you are as a person, who we are as a team,” Vincent told reporters in Pittsburgh. “It’s a great teacher. Since the trade (deadline on March 4), we have a different team, and more injuries, too, so it’s a different lineup. We’ve faced Colorado and Vegas, teams that are gearing up for the playoffs.
“But we control what we can control. As hockey people and human beings, how do you deal with that? Do you fold, or keep pushing? We want a team that’s built with people who will keep pushing. It’s hard. It’s frustrating. And we’re pissed off. But what are we going to do with this today? We want to see who’s going to respond the right way.”
Asked after the game how he felt his players responded, Vincent said: “I really thought we played a good game. It’s a game of mistakes, like we say all the time. But overall, where we’re at, at the end of this road trip … I challenged them this morning, and the way they responded was with a good game.”
The Blue Jackets were, well, better on Thursday. But that’s not saying much. The Penguins looked barely interested for most of the game, giving up several odd-man rushes, but the Blue Jackets could only capitalize on one of them.
At 5:20 of the second period, fourth-liner Mathieu Olivier was spotted alone in front of Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic by Jackets defenseman Damon Severson. Olivier steered Severson’s pass on Nedeljkovic and had enough time to swat home the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.
The Blue Jackets’ lone odd-man rush goal was scored by Sillinger, his 12th of the season, when he one-timed a pass from Alexandre Texier at 13:11 of the second period for a 2-1 lead.
Penguins center Evgeni Malkin responded quickly to each of the Blue Jackets’ goals. Malkin had a pair of power-play goals, including his 21st goal of the season at 16:11 of the second period to make it 2-2.
JUST WHAT THE DOC ORDERED! 🐧 pic.twitter.com/AY6zH2lJOb
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 29, 2024
The Penguins took their first lead of the night only 35 seconds into the third period, when Drew O’Connor scored off the rush.
The Blue Jackets, who got 33 saves from goaltender Daniil Tarasov, scrambled for the tying goal after pulling Tarasov for an extra skater with 2:27 remaining in the game. The Jackets had a two-man advantage for the final 29 seconds of the game after Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby went off for tripping.
But there was no miracle finish to be found. Not on this road trip. And damn sure not in Pittsburgh.
(Photo: Joe Sargent / NHLI via Getty Images)
