Two weeks later, the two teams met again. Back in Columbus, the Jackets got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Murray backhanded goal. CBJ’s Murray was able to swoop in toward the net off a rebound a throw one past Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray. The first period was action-packed but the superb goaltending between Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Murray was enough to keep it scoreless.
The Penguins responded five minutes later. On a rather soft Ian Cole shot toward the net, Bob let it slide by. His view was obstructed by the various players in front of him, allowing the puck to roll in the lower right part of the net.
Now here comes the controversy. A little over a minute after Pittsburgh’s goal, Oliver Bjorkstrand raced down the left side of the ice to chase the puck. After regaining possession, Bjork held it as he maneuvered to the front of the net. After some rapid stick smashing at the ice, Bjork delivered a mighty fine goal for the Blue Jackets. Well, maybe not…
Apparently, the refs saw the Pens gain possession of the puck in the aforementioned stick smashing and the delayed penalty that the officials had been waiting to call stopped play before Bjork’s goal. Thing is, the Pens never had possession. Let’s roll the tape.
As you can see, Pittsburgh never gained control of the puck. The refs screwed Bjorkstrand and the Jackets by calling off the goal. The score remained tied even though Columbus obviously should’ve went up by one. The third period was a period with both teams keeping very aggressive. Much like the previous meeting, the two goalies stood on their heads to maintain the tie.
In overtime, the Jackets pulled out a victory. A nicely served assist from Cam Atkinson set Brandon Dubinsky up with a pretty fine goal that zipped past Matt Murray’s shoulder. The win put the Jackets up in the season series.