The NHL playoffs standings has the Pittsburgh Penguins into the next round after a win against the Blue Jackets and now they advance to the second round after winning the series 4-2 and Evgeni Malkin had a hat trick and they join the Bruins and the Canadiens, while they will wait for the winner of the NY Rangers and Flyers in Game 6 and that game will be on Tuesday in Philadelphia and that will set the eastern conference bracket in the semifinals.
The Penguins went up 4-0 in the first two periods, but like the way the rest of this series has been, the Blue Jackets came back and scored all three of their goals in the third period and both goalies in Marc Andre-Fleury and Sergei Bobrovsky each had 24 saves in the game. The Penguins won the series 4-2 after a hat trick from Evgeni Malkin in the game and him scoring three goals is huge and even with Sidney Crosby struggling the team now is into the next round.
Check here for the NHL playoffs standings and schedule for the postseason.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets are playing their NHL playoffs Game 6 on Monday night and the matchup from Nationwide Arena comes as the Pens are leading 3-2 in the series and the game comes on the NBC Sports Network and starts at 7 pm ET with a live stream as Sidney Crosby and the team tries to close things out.
The Penguins were the favored team in this series, but they have had a tough test from the Jackets, who helped get the first four games at 4-3 and in nearly every matchup there has been a comeback. The Penguins finally broke through for a 3-1 victory on Saturday and now the team is looking to win again and they have the chance to close out the series and right now the other side of the east is played out, as the Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have already advanced.
The Penguins have not gotten the scoring they have needed from their stars like Crosby, but they are now leading the series and have the chance to close things out. Paul Martin is leading the team in points and he has eight assists, while Jussi Jokinen is tops with three goals and the Blues now have the chance to pull things even for a final matchup in Game 7. The Flyers and the Rangers have a Game 6 coming on Tuesday and they will play Game 7 on Wednesday in a back to back matchup if the Flyers can win the game at MSG.
The Penguins have been getting some great play in net from Marc-Andre Fleury and he only had to stop 24 shots in the last game, while Sergei Bobrovsky was hit with over 50 and he ended up with 48 saves in the game. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma knows that the team is playing well and the Penguins cannot underestimate them and the Jackets come in with confidence after playing well in the series against the two seed and getting their first franchise playoff win.
The Penguins come into the game after the win on Friday and a Game 7 would be on Wednesday in Pitt and that could be a massive day if the Rangers need one as well. The schedule on Monday has the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild playing at 9 pm and the Avalanche lead that series and Game 6 could see things end since they are up 3-2, while the LA Kings and San Jose Sharks are also playing. The Sharks have given up leads before and they were up 3-0 in the series and now Los Angeles has the chance to force a game 7 and that would be massive for the series.
