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Penguins and Blue Jackets Go at It in Early Center-Ice Heavyweight Bout

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 6:30 AM ET

Bokondji Imama made his presence felt in every way Friday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 6–3 at PPG Paints Arena.

Less than 12 minutes after puck drop, Penguins' Imama squared off with Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier at center ice in a spirited heavyweight tilt.

Both landed punches in a long exchange that fired up the crowd and set the tone for the remainder of the game.

“It was great. Even after the fight, I felt the crowd getting into it,” Imama said after the game. “Obviously, following up with a goal is just the cherry on top.

"So, it was nice.”

Mathieu Olivier and Bokondji Imama drop the mitts at centre ice for a heavyweight bout pic.twitter.com/uCfAg7JwOy
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 21, 2025

Midway through the second period, Imama scored his second NHL goal—and his first since the 2021–22 season.

Kevin Hayes won an offensive zone faceoff, Danton Heinen found Imama in the left circle, and the 28-year-old winger buried the one-timer past Elvis Merzlikins.

WE'RE LOKO FOR BOKO pic.twitter.com/YULX0jLxM2
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 22, 2025

Imama's goal built a two-game lead for the Penguins and earned him the game's first star, a once-in-a-lifetime accolade for him.

The Penguins built a 5–2 lead with goals from Evgeni Malkin, Noel Acciari, and Rickard Rakell scored before Imama put up Pittsburgh's fourth, while Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust added the last two Penguins goals on the evening.

Columbus' goals came from Boone Jenner, Justin Danforth, and Kent Johnson, but Alex Nedeljkovic kept the Penguins in control with 44 saves on 47 shots.

Pittsburgh improved to 29–32–10 and has now won five of its last ten, although the Penguins are still six points off the second wild-card berth.

Columbus, meanwhile, dropped its sixth straight and fell to 31–29–9, staying within three-points distance of reaching Montreal in the same second wild-card spot.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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