Penguins Pile On As Blue Jackets Fall From Grace

The Pittsburgh Penguins piled on to the Columbus Blue Jackets' fall from grace after their latest clash.

Mar 21, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) makes a save against Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) during the third period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins are getting hot at the worst possible time, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are simultaneously faltering. The Blue Jackets would happily switch places with the Penguins or any other team if it meant ending their current skid.

The Penguins and Blue Jackets met for a Metropolitan Division matchup. The Pens continued their recent run and handed the Jackets another loss, defeating Columbus by a score of 6-3.

Leading the way for the Penguins once again was captain Sidney Crosby. He recorded his 25th goal of the season and added an assist. The two-point performance raised his season totals 25 goals, 61 assists, and 76 points in 68 games. With four more points, he can secure a 20th consecutive season averaging a point-per-game or higher and establishing a new NHL record.

The game went the exact opposite way the Blue Jackets hoped. Instead of shoring up their defensive posture against a team out of the playoff hunt, their struggles continued. Columbus' team defense was subpar, allowing 34 shots on goal to the Pens. The quantity and quality of the chances they surrendered were too much for goalie Elvis Merzlikins to combat, and it resulted in the team surrendering six goals.

The offense was also subpar. While they recorded 47 shots on goal, it doesn't reflect the quality of chances they generated. According to Blue Jackets Head Coach Dean Evason, the team called his team out for taking shortcuts to create offense.

"We were cheating to try to create offense,” he said. “And we don’t have to. We’ve been creating offense. They just haven’t gone in the net. Tonight, we forced the issue. We cheated."

With 13 games remaining, the Blue Jackets are running out of time to secure a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They sit three points back of the final Wild Card spot, but they've lost eight of their last 10. They need to get their game back on track if they want to play in the postseason.

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