Pittsburgh Penguins shut out Blue Jackets for fourth straight win
By Drew Shetler
It was a night of firsts for Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff. Not only did he get his first National Hockey League win as the Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second straight night, but also got his first NHL shutout in the 3-0 victory Saturday night at Nationwide Arena, the Penguins fourth in a row.
Just like last night in Pittsburgh it was the Penguins (11-4-0, 22 points) striking first, but the goal came from an unlikely source. Deryk Engelland scored his second goal of the season when he wristed one top shelf on the glove side of Blue Jackets goaltender Curtis McElhinney off an assist from Joe Vitale.
In the third period, the Penguins increased their lead to 2-0 when Chris Kunitz tried to center a pass to Sidney Crosby, but Blake Comeau tipped the puck past his own goaltender, giving the Penguins a 2-0 lead. The goal was Kunitz’s fourth in four games and eighth of the season.
Jussi Jokinen tapped off the victory with an empty net goal, his seventh of the season. Crosby and Evgeni Malkin earned assists on the game-clinching play.
Zatkoff, a 26-year-old who had never played an NHL game until last month, made 19 saves as the Penguins shut the Jackets down on their home ice. The Penguins really focused on the defensive end, holding Columbus (5-8-0, 10 points) to very few scoring chances.
The Penguins look to continue their momentum when they take on the New York Rangers on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.