Blue Jackets at Penguins - Third Period- 9-15-09
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: Brad Thiessen has replaced that bum Fleury. Dan LaCosta has replaced Mathieu Garon.
18:53: Staal dishes a feed into the slot. Dupuis is there but can't get a handle on it.
18:19: Conner gets dumped in the neutral zone on an iffy hit by Blunden.
17:03: Conner has the infection now too. He rushes up the left side and has a clean look at the net. Instead of shooting, he forces a pass to the slot that gets broken up. Roy is called for hooking Conner.
16:29: Gonchar hammers a slapper from the top of the slot. It hits a body in front. Kunitz is there with the rebound but can't get a shot off.
16:11: Gonchar backhand chips a loose puck away from the stick of a Columbus defender. It comes to Tangradi to the right of the net. He moves it to Crosby who punches it in behind an out of place LaCosta. Really nifty looking play. Nice pass by Tangradi.Tangradi and Gonchar get assists. The "Hey Song" makes its preseason debut. Blue Jackets 3-1.
15:54: The goal call for Crosby's score was disappointing to say the least. It was more like a goal scream than a goal call.
15:03: Engelland snaps off a wrister from the right point. It hits a few bodies before LaCosta kicks it out.
13:11: This Tangradi-Kunitz-Crosby line is working well. Crosby rushes it up ice through the neutral zone. He slide a pass to Kunitz on the left side. Kunitz snaps off a wrister. LaCosta fights it off. Tangradi swats it out of mid-air from in crease. It misses the net and riccochets off the backboards. Crosby collects it and brings it around the left side of the cage and sneaks it by LaCosta. Tangradi and Kunitz get assists. The "Hey Song" is played. Blue Jackets 3-2.
12:29: Fedotenko and Dorsett are each sent off for roughing. Four-on four.
11:53: Conner makes a furious dash down the right wing and whips a backhander on net. LaCosta eats it up. Conner loses hsi skates and crashes into LaCosta and dislodges the net. Conner has looked good.
11:26: Brassard is sent off for slashing four on three for 57 seconds. Kunitz, Staal, Crosby and Gonchar are on for the power play. Crosby is on the point with Gonchar.
10:40: Kunitz dishes a nice backhanded pass to Staal in the crease. Staal can get a clean handle on the puck. It comes to Crosby in the left faceoff circle. He kneels down and rips a wrister wide to the far side.
10:30: Crosby smacks a one-timer from the left faceoff circle. LaCosta deflects it out of play.
10:29: Fedotenko's and Dorsett's penalties end. Five-on-for for 1:03.
9:26: Brassard's penalty is killed. The Penguins' four-man power-play unit looked nice.
8:45: Thiessen fights off a shot from Blunden. That was only the second shot Thiessen has faced.
8:33: Off a faceoff, Bortuzzo chips a shot on net from the top of the slot. LaCosta eats it up.
8:06: Staal tosses a wrister on net from the left wing. LaCosta fights it off.
7:03: Eaton smacks a one-timer from the left point. Kunitz is there in front and deflects it wide.
6:23: Conner just got run over by Roy in the corner in Columbus's zone.
6:16: Brad Thiessen is now your goaltender of record thanks to Chris Conner. Conner controls the puck behind the net, spins near the corner and whips a shot towards the net. It hits a defender's skate and deflects by LaCosta. Ugly goal but Conner will take it and so will his team. McKee gets the only assist. The "Hey Song" is played. Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 3.
4:14: Kunitz snaps off wrister from the right wing. LaCosta fights it off.
3:31: Despite a screen by one of his own defenders, Thiessen fight off a low wrister by Dorsett.
3:23: Conner tosses a rising wrister on net from the left wing. LaCosta eats it up.
2:02: And to the joy of more than a few folks in the press box, we probably avoid overtime. Picard grabs the puck from behind the net, moves towards the crease and jams it through Theissen with a nice effort. Murray and Roy get assists. Blue Jackets 4-3.
1:45: Or maybe we do get overtime. Eaton whips a wrister at the net from the left point. It hits a defender in front. Kunitz picks it up. With LaCosta out of place, Kunitz pushes it by him on the stick side with a backhander. Nice, classic Kunitz goal. Eaton gets the only assist. The "Hey Song" is played. Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 4.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 4.
THIRD INTERMISSION
-The Penguins have a 41-26 lead in shots. In the third period along, they had a 20-7 advantage.