Kovacevic: Bjugstad/McCann a hilarious heist for Rutherford

There was one dumped-in puck in the Columbus corner.

There was one defenseman from the Blue Jackets backpedaling to pursue it.

And there was ... not one but two forwards from the Penguins flying into this scene like frothing dogs:

Looks like a blast, huh?

Well, it also looked, at least to me, like a mistake. See, admirable as it was that both Nick Bjugstad and Dominik Simon appeared to risk life and limb -- more that of poor Adam McQuaid than their own -- it also wasn't exactly how Mike Sullivan's system should be applied. Some NHL teams do send two forecheckers like that. Sullivan sends one, then puts the other into a support position, to pick off other options.

So, uh ...

"I know, I know," Bjugstad would somewhat bashfully explain when I brought this up late Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena, after the Penguins had yet again beaten down the Blue Jackets, this time by a 3-0 count. "There are still some things I'm learning, and that's one thing that goes back to ..."

That's how it worked with Florida?

"Right. We'd send two forecheckers a lot of the time. I'm getting better at it, but ..."

But?

"But man, this game. This is one of those playoff-type games that gets you going, you know?"

Yeah, we saw. Participants on both sides were bruised, even bloodied, before ultimately the wannabe rival from across I-70, which comically tries to construct its roster primarily on an anti-Pittsburgh principle, lost an eighth consecutive meeting. And because of that, the Penguins skipped up into third place in the Metro with 81 points, and the Blue Jackets stayed stuck out of the Eastern playoff picture with 77.

Lots of hockey remains, including a rematch Saturday night in Ohio, but this was still rather large. And 'playoff-type,' to borrow from Bjugstad.

But if this script proceeds as it has, one powerful statement might be made above all: Find players who fit.

The Blue Jackets, as the whole hockey world watched with mouth agape, went wild at the NHL's trade deadline, adding Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel from Ottawa, McQuaid from New York, and even a third goaltender, Keith Kinkaid, from New Jersey solely because -- though they'd never admit it -- he's a goaltender who doesn't wake up in cold sweats at the thought of black and gold.

Their effort was immediately declared "all-in," even as they were declared "deadline winners," whatever the hell that means.

Record since the deadline: 2-4

Goals scored since the deadline: 9

Playoff series won in the franchise's 18-year existence: 0

Sorry, just felt like that fit there.

It's all about fit. Always. It was about fit when Derick Brassard flopped here. It's about fit when Duchene, who dominated with the Senators in his early-February visit to Pittsburgh, didn't even attempt a shot in this game until the final minute. It's about fit when Dzingel didn't even achieve that much. It's about fit when McQuaid was limited to 10 minutes of sluggishness.

And you'd better believe it's about fit with Jim Rutherford's redemption trade for Brassard.

I'll word this bluntly: The man would have belonged in jail for having heisted Jared McCann alone for Brassard and Riley Sheahan, both pending free agents, both terribly unproductive, both equally soft. But he got McCann at age 22, and Bjugstad, both under team control through 2021.

Never mind that, through 17 games here, McCann has six goals and three assists; Bjugstad four goals and three assists.

Never mind, even, that the two hooked up for this beauty by Bjugstad for the Penguins' backbreaking goal in this game, helped by a sturdy Patric Hornqvist shove to the net:

It's a breathtaking overall shift.

"Horny had the big-time effort there. That shouldn't go unnoticed," Bjugstad told me. "Give him all the credit."

I tried that. He wanted none of it. So back to those two ...

"Nick likes to pop out out of a pack like that to get open," McCann told me. "I saw him and got him the puck. He made a great play after that."

"That was Jared's first shift with our line," Bjugstad said, referring to Sullivan flipping McCann and Dominik Simon between third and first lines in that second period. "I was saying, 'Gee, it doesn't matter what line he's on, he's creating offense.'"

They both are, but they're also doing more. Not more than a couple minutes before Bjugstad's goal, I sent this out publicly ...

Nick Bjugstad's having a hell of a game at both ends BTW. #DKPS #Penguins

— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) March 8, 2019

... only to follow up after the goal:

A-hem. #DKPS #Penguins

— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) March 8, 2019

Because there really is more to both guys.

This was McCann, giving up a couple inches and two dozen pounds to Pierre-Luc Dubois before planting the posterior of his 6-3, 207-pound frame onto the ice in the third:

This was Bjugstad pouncing on Zach Werenski after his cheap -- and unpenalized -- check from behind on Jake Guentzel in the second:

They were outstanding over all 200 feet: Bjugstad was on the ice for 22 chances for the Penguins, eight for the Blue Jackets, accounting for an exceptional 73.33 Corsi For percentage. McCann was a solid 54.17, including zero high-danger chances against. And Hornqvist, befitting Bjugstad's praise, was out of his mind at 80.95, one of the team's highest such ratings all winter.

Now, close the eyes and picture the impact Brassard and/or Sheahan might have had on this same event.

Nah?

Suffice it to say, both of their replacements probably are glad you can't, as they otherwise wouldn't be here.

"I understand and appreciate the situation we're in," McCann replied, interestingly, when I asked about that big hit up there. "I've never been in the playoffs before. I was in Vancouver, and we didn't make it, then Florida ... "

Confirmed: One idle spring with the Canucks, three with the Panthers.

"I want that experience. I want that feeling. And right now, I want that playoff mentality."

So that's the same boat as Bjugstad, I added, motioning over that way.

"Oh, no. He's made it. He made it the year before I got to Florida."

Dude. That was in 2016.

"Yeah, I know. It's been a while. But he made it."

I took that concept to the grizzled playoff veteran of ... um, five games:

It's coming. They'll both be in there. And they'll both have been the right fit, not just in the hockey sense but also in the aesthetic. If we're being honest, a lot of what these maddeningly inconsistent Penguins have been missing most of the season has been that common sense of urgency. Maybe it took a couple guys like this to help reinvigorate that.

Much more from this game in my Grind this morning.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY