from Tim Benz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

There was a macabre fascination to the way the Pittsburgh Penguins regular season finale played out in Columbus.

The Pens lost to the awful Blue Jackets 3-2.

In overtime.

After blowing a third period lead.

To a significantly inferior foe.

While outshooting the opponent and making a journeyman goalie in the other net (Michael Hutchinson) look like Patrick Roy.

Does it get any more fitting than that? That’s been the Penguins story throughout 2022-23 — following game scripts just like that all year long.

That game Thursday night was played under utterly bizarre circumstances. The Penguins were playing their first regular season game as an eliminated team since 2006.

The Blue Jackets were probably better served to lose, in order to give themselves the best possible chance of winning the draft lottery for the rights to draft highly touted prospect Connor Bedard. They entered the game with 57 points. They left with 59. Meanwhile, after their results Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks have 58 points, and the Chicago Blackhawks have 59. The Blue Jackets still have one game left against Buffalo on Friday night.

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