from Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

The Penguins used a hockey version of judo to secure a 5-2 win Thursday night and oust Columbus in five games in a first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.

They took the Blue Jackets' greatest strength and turned it into a weakness.

The Blue Jackets came into the series with their reputation well established. They were a big, physical team that liked to throw punishing hits, especially on the forecheck. On every line, from Brandon Dubinsky to Boone Jenner to Josh Anderson, there was a hulking forward capable of stapling opponents to the boards.

The game plan against the Penguins was simple. The Blue Jackets were going to come out of the locker room with guns blazing and hit everything that moved for as long as they could.

To an extent, it worked. They recorded 197 hits in the five-game series.

“It was physical,” Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said. “They don't pass up any opportunities to finish checks. They really tried to establish that from the first game.”

It turned out to be their downfall, too.

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