Pittsburg, PA
Winning Thoughts: The Pittsburgh streak is over | Columbus Blue Jackets
After CBJ wins, we’ll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we’ll remember from the Blue Jackets victory.
1. The Blue Jackets finally got a win in Pittsburgh.
It was nearly a decade ago on Nov. 13, 2015, when the Blue Jackets last won before tonight in the Steel City. You can almost hear a radio announcer painting a picture of what life was like then as he begins a flashback montage…
“Hello” by Adele was the No. 1 song on the charts. Gas cost $2.23 a gallon, and Peyton Manning was on his way to winning his second Super Bowl…
It had been that long since the Blue Jackets left Pittsburgh as a happy bunch, a 15-game losing streak against the division rival that seemed to defy all logic.
There is no magic formula to beat that kind of hex, but the Blue Jackets finally found the right balance between acknowledging it and not really caring.
After all, this is a gameday roster that had 10 new players – plus a new head coach in Dean Evason – since last year’s March 28 loss in Pittsburgh, so it’s not like most in the dressing room were preoccupied with the past or had even lived that much of it.
Add in a relatively young bunch of players – it’s not like Dmitri Voronkov or Adam Fantilli have had too many difficult drives through the Fort Pitt Tunnel in their careers – and it wasn’t really something that hung over this squad that much going in.
“I don’t care,” Kirill Marchenko said afterward. “We just wanted to win, that’s it.”
“I think there were a couple of jokes about it when we flew into Pittsburgh, but I think guys were pretty confident, thinking, ‘This is the year we can do it,’” Kent Johnson said. “Obviously we’ve been a better team (this year), so it definitely felt good to do it.”
Evason was more on the side of not giving two flips, as whatever happened before he got to Columbus has been largely immaterial to him this season. He said assistant coach Jared Boll may have mentioned the streak in the coaches’ room before the game, but Evason’s laser focus was on having the team ready to play, and the Blue Jackets succeeded in that regard.
“Listen, this is a different team than in the past 10 years or whatever it’s been, (or) last year,” Evason said. “We’re a different hockey club. We’re playing the way that the Columbus Blue Jackets play today in order to win. So what’s happened in the past, it means nothing. It really does. This group, if we play hard like that every night, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win regardless of if we haven’t won somewhere.”
2. Adam Fantilli stepped up in a big way after the loss of Sean Monahan.
The first-year Blue Jackets center has been one of the biggest pieces of the team’s resurgence this year, providing excellent play on the top line and bringing leadership to the locker room.
So when Monahan left the game in the third period – he suffered an upper-body injury in the second but tried to go in the final frame, leaving after one shift – it could have been a major blow to the Blue Jackets.
Enter Fantilli, who moved up between Marchenko and Voronkov and brought energy – as well as contributed to two goals – to help the Blue Jackets erase a 3-1 deficit in the final eight minutes. First, his centering pass deflected off of Marchenko and went right to Voronkov at the right post, and the big Russian made no mistake in putting it past Tristan Jarry to make it a one-goal game with 7:55 left.
Fantilli then scored the tying goal with 2:36 remaining and the Blue Jackets on the power play. Taking Monahan’s spot in the bumper position on the man advantage, Fantilli one-touched a sweet pass from Johnson past Jarry from the slot to even the game.
Vegas Golden Knights (28-17-14, in the Pacific Division) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (30-15-13, in the Metropolitan Division)
Pittsburgh; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Golden Knights -149, Penguins +125; over/under is 6.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vegas Golden Knights square off in a non-conference matchup.
Pittsburgh has a 14-8-7 record at home and a 30-15-13 record overall. The Penguins have scored 197 total goals (3.4 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play.
Vegas is 28-17-14 overall and 14-9-7 in road games. The Golden Knights are 27-6-8 in games they score at least three goals.
Sunday’s game is the first meeting between these teams this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Mantha has 21 goals and 23 assists for the Penguins. Benjamin Kindel has six goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Mark Stone has 21 goals and 38 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has seven goals and three assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-1-2, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.1 assists, 3.3 penalties and 6.9 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 4-4-2, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Penguins: None listed.
Golden Knights: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz needs to have a great season for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026 and his strong Spring Training continued in their most recent victory.
Cruz hit a three-run home run off of Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray in the top of the fifth inning, playing a big role in the 5-2 victory at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Fla.
He waited on a changeup on the second pitch, 85.1 mph over the middle of the plate and sent it 106.4 mph off the bat and 368 feet, scoring both left fielder Billy Cook and third baseman Alika Williams with two outs.
That marks the first home run for Cruz in the Grapefruit League, who has had a great Spring Training so far, slashing .538/.600/.846 for an OPS of 1.446 in five games, with seven hits in 13 at-bats.
Pittsburgh got the win after the top of the sixth inning, after a rain delay ended the game.
Pirates Rookie Pitchers Have Up-And-Down Showing vs. Astros
Right-handed pitcher Braxton Ashcraft made his second start for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and dominated vs. the Astros.
Ashcraft threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and a walk, while posting two strikeouts for Pittsburgh.
Former Pirates pitcher, right-handed starter Mike Burrows, countered Ashcraft for the Astros. He threw three scoreless innings himself, allowed one hit and a walk and posted four strikeouts.
The Pirates traded Burrows to the Houston Astros in the three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Dec. 19, that landed them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery.
Right-handed pitcher Bubba Chandler made his second appearance for the Pirates in the Grapefruit League and threw two innings.
Chandler immediately loaded the bases, walking both third baseman Carlos Correa and first baseman Christian Walker, then giving up a single to center fielder Cam Smith.
He came back and struckout right fielder Taylor Trammell and got left fielder Zach Dezenzo to pop out, but gave up a single to second baseman Brice Matthews and a run to the Astros, before ending the inning with a strikeout.
Chandler also gave up a solo home run to Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes, on a slider down in the zone.
He finished his outing with three hits, three walks and two earned runs allowed over 1.1 innings pitched, before left-handed pitcher Derek Diamond got the last two outs of the inning.
Chandler struggled in his first Spring Training start vs. the New York Yankees at LECOM Park in Bradenton on Feb. 23, where he allowed four earned runs over 1.2 innings of work.
The Pirates will need better showings from Chandler, who should serve as a key piece of their starting rotation in 2026.
Other Important Notes from Pirates Victory
The Pirates added two runs in the top of the sixth inning, as Cook hit a single that scored second baseman Nick Yorke and then Williams singled, scoring Cook to make it a 5-2 ball game.
Cook had just one hit in eight at-bats coming into this game and scored twice in the victory, as he walked before the Cruz home run.
Designated hitter Marcell Ozuna led the Pirates with two hits, a good sign for them, as they’ll rely on him greatly for his power and hitting in 2026.
The Pirates are now 7-2 in the Grapefruit League and tied with the Yankees for the top of the standings.
Make sure to visit Pirates OnSI for the latest news, updates, interviews and insight on the Pittsburgh Pirates!
Pittsburg, PA
As the NFL combine winds down, all eyes shift to Pittsburgh for the league’s next showcase event
Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say
Newsom’s ‘disgraceful’ call for Dems to be ‘culturally normal’ is ‘dangerous,’ far-left podcaster says
Judge orders Ilhan Omar attack suspect to remain in custody pending trial
RICK PERRY: Where’s the beef? Trump knows and he’s trying to make it affordable
Virginia Democrats talk affordability — and vote to nearly triple their own pay
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say
Mamdani’s response to Trump’s Iran strike sparks conservative backlash: ‘Rooting for the ayatollah’
Activists hail ‘historic’ EU’s decision on accessible abortion
A long-buried recording and the Supreme Court of old (CT+) : Consider This from NPR
2 Survivors Describe the Terror and Tragedy of the Tahoe Avalanche
-
World3 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts4 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Montana1 week ago2026 MHSA Montana Wrestling State Championship Brackets And Results – FloWrestling
-
Denver, CO4 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana6 days agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube TV billing scam emails are hitting inboxes
-
Technology1 week agoStellantis is in a crisis of its own making
-
Politics1 week agoOpenAI didn’t contact police despite employees flagging mass shooter’s concerning chatbot interactions: REPORT