Pittsburgh dominant in Game 5 victory over Blue Jackets

The Pittsburgh Penguins and oft-criticized goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury found their (happy) footing in Game 5, as the flightless birds dramatically outshot and defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 to take a 3-2 stranglehold in their opening-round Stanley Cup playoff series. 

Fleury stopped 15 shots in the last two periods to close the door on another potential Blue Jackets comeback.

Game 6 goes on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. 

Star performer

After struggling in his first two seasons with the Penguins, Pittsburgh center Brandon Sutter was particularly good in Game 5. With Penguins coach Dan Bylsma shifting star centerman Evgeni Malkin to the wing alongside Sidney Crosby and Kunitz, Sutter played second line minutes and was a two-way force throughout the contest.

How dominant was Sutter in Game 5? Well he won 10-of-15 face-offs, managed an assist, took four shots on goal, and when he was on the ice at evens the Penguins out-shot the Blue Jackets 12-to-2. 

Turning point

With the way Pittsburgh was controlling play on Saturday night, there was little doubt that they'd close this one out once they took the lead. Jokinen gave it to them early in the third period:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

Highlight reel

All eyes were on Fleury going into Game 5, and he delivered a competent 23-save performance. Fleury was particularly solid late in the game, and made two key saves to preserve the victory on this sequence:

[Courtesy NHL.com]

Quote of the game

Malkin and Crosby get what Malkin and Crosby want; and what they want is each other:

Series at a glance

Game 1 Recap: Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 3
Game 2 Recap: Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (2 OT)
Game 3 Recap: Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 3
Game 4 Recap: Blue Jackets 4, Penguins 3 (OT)