• Who: Penguins (28-32-10) vs. Blue Jackets (31-28-9)
• What: NHL regular season, Game 71
• When: 7:08 p.m.
• Where: PPG Paints Arena
• Goaltenders: Alex Nedeljkovic (12-14-5, .891 SV%) vs. Elvis Merzlikins (22-18-5, .897 SV%) 
• TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh, NHL Network (out-of-market)
• Radio: Penguins Radio Network
• Streaming: SNP 360
• Boxscore: NHL.com
• Media notes: Penguins | Blue Jackets

► FOLLOW ALONG 

• Boko Imama gets the MVP helmet.

• Penguins win, 6-3. Goals from Evgeni Malkin, Noel Acciari, Rickard Rakell, Boko Imama, Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust. Imama's is the game-winner. Alex Nedeljkovic with 45 saves.

• GOAL: Bryan Rust into the empty net. Penguins 6, Blue Jackets 3

• Phil Tomasino is called for tripping with 15 seconds left on the Zach Aston-Reese minor. It'll be a 1:45 Blue Jackets power play after these 15 seconds are up.

• Penguins get a power play with 13:06 left. Old friend Zach Aston-Reese to the box for boarding

• Alex Nedeljkovic has 30 saves and there's still 15 minutes left.

• GOAL: Kent Johnson whips around the net and fires one from a few feet out. Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 3

• Boko Imama is out of the box. 

• Third period is underway.

• Oh wow, that was only Boko Imama's second NHL goal. His first was back in 2021-22, his rookie year. Obviously, hasn't actually played much at this level, this is only his 29th NHL game.

• End of the second, Penguins lead 5-2. They'll have 66 seconds to kill on the Boko Imama minor to open the third.

• Penguins to the PK with 54.5 left in the first. Boko Imama sits for interference. Was just doing too much in lieu of a stick and shoved over Zach Aston-Reese.

• Boko Imama breaks a stick but is able to stay out there and block at least one shot.

• With a goal and an assist so far, Sidney Crosby is up to 76 points on the season, four away from clinching a point-per-game season and surpassing Wayne Gretzky for the most point-per-game seasons in NHL history.

• GOAL: Sidney Crosby with a redirect of a Matt Grzelcyk shot. Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 2

• Big glove save from Alex Nedeljkovic, and he gets some style points for the windmill.

• The crowd was pretty loud for Boko Imama, more so than usual. Popular guy. They showed him on the videoboard a little while after and the crowd went crazy too. Imama was on the bench trying to hold back a smile.

• GOAL: Oh my God, Boko Imama gets a goal. One-timer from the left circle. Great shot. His first as a Penguin. He's an assist away from a Gordie Howe Hat Trick now. The guys were fired up for him. Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 2

• Forget what I said about Ben Lovejoy being the jersey of the night: I see a Sergei Zubov.

• They just showed two furries in full fursuits on the videoboard and the crowd booed. Highlight of the season.

• GOAL: Blue Jackets are back within one. Conor Timmins was trying to clear a bouncing puck off a rebound and knocked it in. It'll get credited to Justin Danforth. Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 2.

• Second period is underway.

• I think Ryan Shea may have a broken finger. Has a brace on his pinky and ring fingers on his left hand.

• End of the first. Penguins lead, 3-1. Goals from Evgeni Malkin, Noel Acciari and Rickard Rakell. Shots are 13-12 Penguins.

• GOAL: And the Penguins quickly regain the two-goal lead. Rickard Rakell from Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby. Crosby getting closer to clinching a point-per game season. Penguins 3, Blue Jackets 1

• GOAL: Blue Jackets answer seconds later on their next shot. Boone Jenner off a redirect. Penguins 2, Blue Jackets 1

• GOAL: Noel Acciari doubles the lead, his first goal since Dec. 28. Blake Lizotte carried the puck to the net, lost it, it bounced off Ivan Provorov and onto Acciari's stick. Acciari knocked it in with the backhand. Penguins 2, Blue Jackets 0

• Boko Imama and Mathieu Olivier fight. Pretty lengthy fight. Both guys got punches in, Imama got Olivier's helmet off. No takedown, they just got tired out.

• Joona Koppanen has three hits in his first 3:21 of ice time. He had three hits all last game. He only had three hits combined in his four NHL games last season. Really coming around.

• A Phil Kessel tribute video airs at the TV timeout for his bobblehead night. 

• Ryan Graves breaks his stick blocking a shot. Alex Nedeljkovic makes the save shortly after to get the Penguins out of a jam.

• GOAL: Evgeni Malkin finds the back of the net 5:28 in. Great play by Connor Dewar to keep the play alive and get it over to Phil Tomasino, who found Malkin on the other side of the crease, Malkin backhands it in. Penguins 1, Blue Jackets 0

• Alex Nedeljkovic makes a save on the first shot faced.

• This one is underway.

• Jersey of the night in the crowd: Ben Lovejoy.

• Blue Jackets' lines and pairings:

Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantilli - Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson - Boone Jenner - Yegor Chinakhov
Zach Aston-Reese - Justin Danforth - Mathieu Olivier
James van Riemsdyk - Sean Kuraly - Luke Kunin

Zach Werenski - Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk - Ivan Provorov
Jack Johnson - Damon Severson

• Same lines and pairings as yesterday's practice. Kris Letang is on the left. Told you, the Kevin Hayes line is fourth, not third.

Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Connor Dewar - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Tomasino
Joona Koppanen - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Boko Imama - Kevin Hayes - Danton Heinen

Kris Letang - Conor Timmins
Matt Grzelcyk - Erik Karlsson
Ryan Graves - Vladislav Kolyachonok

• The Blue Jackets are running it back with Elvis Merzlikins tonight, after he played last night and made 28 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Panthers in Columbus. Backup goaltender Daniil Tarasov is ill, so Jet Greaves was emergency recalled and will back up.