Thursday, April 24, 2014
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Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (OT)

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[April 24, 2014]  Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (OT): Nick Foligno scored 2:49 into overtime as host Columbus overcame an early three-goal deficit to even its Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece.

Brandon Dubinsky forged a 3-3 tie with 24 seconds remaining in the third period as he scored from the slot after Marc-Andre Fleury (42 saves) flubbed a bid to control a loose puck behind the net. Foligno ended the contest after he gained the blue line and wristed a shot that dipped under the glove of Fleury, sending Nationwide Arena into a frenzy.

Rookie Boone Jenner scored a power-play goal and Ryan Johansen tallied during a 5-on-3 advantage for the Blue Jackets, who travel to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Saturday. Defenseman James Wisniewski notched two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky overcame a shaky start to turn aside 22 shots.


Craig Adams netted a short-handed goal before Chris Kunitz and James Neal scored 33 seconds apart as the Penguins breezed to a 3-0 advantage midway through the first period. Defenseman Paul Martin recorded two assists for the fourth consecutive contest.

After Pittsburgh erupted for the three-goal lead, Columbus countered at 16:39 of the first period as Jenner deflected former Penguin Mark Letestu's shot from the slot past Fleury. Lee Stempniak's double-minor penalty for high-sticking and Brandon Sutter's delay-of-game infraction opened the door for Johansen, who tapped home a loose puck with 5:40 left in the second.

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GAME NOTEBOOK: All four games in the series have resulted in 4-3 decisions, with the losing team squandering a 3-1 lead each time. ... Martin became the first Pittsburgh player to have multiple assists in four straight postseason games since D Paul Coffey accomplished the feat in 1989. Martin's eight points lead the NHL. ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby saw his postseason goal-scoring drought extend to nine contests. His last tally came in Game 4 of Pittsburgh's second-round series versus Ottawa in 2013. ... After scoring three goals in a 2-minute, 13-second span of the third period in Game 3, Pittsburgh picked up where it left off on Wednesday. Adams opened the scoring at 6:09 before Kunitz deflected D Matt Niskanen's shot from the point 4 1/2 minutes later and Neal scored from deep in the right faceoff circle. ... Dubinsky and Johansen each added an assist for two-point performances.

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