PITTSBURGH _ For the teams and their fans, a potential first-round playoff series between the Penguins and Blue Jackets seems poised to be a roller coaster of emotion.
For third-party observers, though, it could be everything one would want from the NHL postseason.
The Penguins beat the Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime on Phil Kessel's second goal of the game.
The two teams are currently second and third in the Metropolitan Division. If those standings hold, they will meet in the first round of the playoffs in a few months. If those games are anything like Friday night, it could be a classic.
Kessel's winner came on a rebound off a Kris Letang shot with the Penguins on 4-on-3 overtime power play. The victory kept the Penguins undefeated when leading after two periods in regular-season games under coach Mike Sullivan.
Through two periods, the Penguins looked like they were ready to avenge their 7-1 loss in Columbus Dec. 22.
Kessel put the Penguins up 1-0 midway through the first period with a blistering wrist shot from the top of the right circle and beat Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, thanks in part to a screen from Nick Bonino in front.
Kessel's goal came at the end of a long spell of possession for the Penguins in the Columbus zone, one that spanned multiple shifts and involved a couple of impressive plays to keep the puck in the zone. Ultimately, the possession paid off with Kessel's goal.
The Penguins doubled their lead a few minutes later. Patric Hornqvist got credit for the goal that put them up 2-0, but Matt Cullen did most of the heavy lifting. Playing in his first game back from a foot injury, Cullen muscled his way in between two Columbus defensemen and got the puck on net and Bobrovsky out of position. By the time Hornqvist got there, all he had to do was tap the puck into a wide-open net for a 2-0 lead at 18:28 of the first.
The Blue Jackets got a goal back late in the second when Brandon Dubinsky corralled a loose puck in front of the net and put it past Matt Murray.
The Penguins, though, didn't wait long to reestablish their two-goal lead. Less than three minutes after Dubinsky scored, Jake Guentzel fed an inch-perfect cross-ice pass to Nick Bonino, standing in front of Bobrovsky. Bonino took a couple of whacks at it, and the second one went past Bobrovsky and put the Penguins up 3-1 at 18:23 of the second period.
The Blue Jackets cut the Penguins' lead to 3-2 just 29 seconds into the third period on a goal from Alexander Wennberg. Seth Jones started the play by driving to the net, and passed it back to Brandon Saad in the slot. He dropped it off to Wennberg just inside the right circle, and Wennberg fired it past Murray to make it a one-goal game.
Cam Atkinson completed the comeback with his 25th goal of the season at 11:20 of the third to make the score 3-3, setting the stage for Kessel's overtime game-winner.
The win moves the Penguins to within two points of Columbus in the Metropolitan Division standings, and home ice in any potential playoff matchup is still very much up in the air.
The Penguins return to action Saturday against St. Louis. They'll be back at home Tuesday against Calgary.
