Schedule and 2016-17 Results
Regular Season Records: Pittsburgh 50-21-11=111pts, Columbus 50-24-8=108pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 12 April: Columbus loses at Pittsburgh, 3-goals-1
Game 2 on Friday, 14 April: Columbus loses at Pittsburgh, 4-goals-1
Game 3 on Sunday, 16 April: Pittsburgh wins at Columbus, 5-goals-4 (OT)
Game 4 on Tuesday, 18 April: Pittsburgh loses at Columbus, 5-goals-4
Game 5 on Thursday, 20 April: Columbus loses at Pittsburgh, 5-goals-2

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted and bested the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-goals-2 to complete a 4-games-1 best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1323 victory. With the series 1323 win, the Pittsburgh Penguins improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 34-22 with an active five-series winning streak overall and 16-7 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1323 loss, the Columbus Blue Jackets see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 0-3 overall and 0-3 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Pittsburgh Penguins in series 1323 was WWWLW: Series 1323 thus becomes the 15th NHL Preliminary-round series, the 49th NHL series (all rounds), and the 88th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. Series 1323 is the fifth best-of-7 NHL playoff series won by the Pittsburgh Penguins via win order WWWLW.

After Game 4: The Columbus Blue Jackets hosted and bested the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-goals-4 to drop the Pittsburgh Penguins best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series 1323 lead to 3-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 12-3 and a Game 5 record of 8-7. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a series record of 0-0 and a Game 5 record of 0-0. The Columbus Blue Jackets trail a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1 for the first time. In series 1061, Columbus trailed the Detroit Red Wings 3-games-nil in their 2009 NHL Preliminary-round series, and was swept in four games.

After Game 3: The Pittsburgh Penguins visited and defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-goals-4 in overtime to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1323 lead of 3-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 10-1 with an active nine-series winning streak and a Game 4 record of 6-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-nil, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 4 record of 0-1. Pittsburgh lost series 295 to the New York Islanders in the 1975 NHL Quarterfinals after having held a 3-games-nil series lead. Columbus lost Game 4 in the sole previous series in which the Blue Jackets had trailed a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-nil (in series 1061, in the 2009 NHL Preliminary round, to the Detroit Red Wings). Pittsburgh trailed series 1323 Game 3 by two goals on the road as late as 5:20 into the second period: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2016, inclusive, road teams down two goals as late as 5:20 into the second period had a game record of only 45-377 (.107). Columbus scored the opening goal of series 1323 Game 3 at 0:11 into the game -- the fastest goal from the start of a best-of-7 NHL playoff game since series 1222 Game 3, in which the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning and scored the opening goal also 0:11 into their 2014 NHL Preliminary-round game.

After Game 2: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted and outscored the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1323 lead of 2-games-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 14-2 (with an active eight-series winning streak) and a Game 3 record of 11-5. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-nil, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a series record of 0-1 and a Game 3 record of 0-1.

After Game 1: The Pittsburgh Penguins hosted and topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-goals-1 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1323 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a series record of 19-7 (with an active five-series winning streak) and a Game 2 record of 16-10. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Columbus Blue Jackets have a series record of 0-2 and a Game 2 record of 1-1.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2016-17 NHL regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins finished three points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. From 1939 through the 2016 NHL Finals round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by three regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 12-21 (.364) in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1323 is the 56th best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the third for the Columbus Blue Jackets. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Pittsburgh Penguins have an all-rounds series record of 33-22, a Preliminary-round series record of 15-7, and a Game 1 record of 26-29, while the Columbus Blue Jackets have an all-rounds series record of 0-2, a Preliminary-round series record of 0-2, and a Game 1 record of 0-2. Series 1323 is the second best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh defeated Columbus in their only previous best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting, in the 2014 NHL Preliminary round.