The Columbus Blue Jackets simply found a way on Thursday night, beating the New York Rangers 6-3 at Nationwide Arena. Their 11-game point streak has kept them alive in an Eastern Conference race that’s been a gauntlet, but one that suddenly looks a lot more possible to overcome with 14 regular-season games remaining.
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Even with this unreal run, the Blue Jackets are only barely inside the playoff picture. They sit tied with the New York Islanders at 83 points, though Columbus holds a game in hand. The Blue Jackets also got help from an unlikely source on Thursday — the Islanders lost in regulation to the Ottawa Senators after Brady Tkachuk scored with 11 seconds left, one of the rare times Blue Jackets’ fans found themselves cheering for him.
Here are three takeaways from the huge win.
Blue Jackets Got the Job Done
It was not pretty by any means, but it was enough. Columbus handled a team that has been strong on the road recently and did not allow the kind of comeback they suffered a week ago when the Rangers scored four times in the third period.
Adam Fantilli, who scored twice, summed up the team’s collective effort after the game.
He said, “Not every game is going to be perfect. Bones said not every game is going to be a Picasso. Finding wins like that is huge. We had good desperation when we needed it. Big goals, big kills. They play a bit more run and gun, so it is not always structured, but we managed it and got it done.”
The Blue Jackets responded well after giving up a tough shorthanded goal to Vincent Trocheck, scoring twice later in the first period to settle things down.
Rick Bowness liked the response after the Rangers made it 4-3 in the third period.
He explained, “I liked how we responded when they made it 4-3. We tightened up and played our hockey. I did not like giving up three, but I loved the response. There was no way they were letting what happened in New York happen again. It was not our best, but when you can say that and still win, that is pretty good. Now we get ready for Saturday.”
Special teams were a big factor — Columbus went 1-for-5 on the power play, but many of those chances created momentum, especially the first one. The penalty kill finished 5-for-6 and was also massive for momentum. Jet Greaves did not have his best night, but he made the saves they needed. He stopped 22 of 25 shots and continues to impress in his first full NHL season.
Blue Jackets Getting Scoring Up & Down Lineup
This was a gritty offensive night for the Blue Jackets. A lot of goals came from rebounds, traffic, and getting to the front of the net. A full team effort showed up again, with all four lines rolling and not much of a drop-off in even-strength ice time. With 11 minor penalties and 22 total penalty minutes, five-on-five time was lower than usual, but balance was there.
The fourth line chipped in two goals from Boone Jenner and Isac Lundestrom. Bowness liked what he saw from that group, saying, “They were unbelievable. Boone’s goal, Lundy’s shot, Haino all over the ice. Every time they were out there, you felt confident. They gave us energy.”
The third line of Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Mathieu Olivier actually saw the most five-on-five ice time at 10:17. The Mason Marchment – Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko line was right behind them. On the back end, Zach Werenski and Damon Severson led the defensive pairings with 14:18 together, and there was not much drop off to the third pairing of Erik Gudbranson and Dante Fabbro at 11:07.
Fantilli talked about how much confidence the team gets from having four lines that can all contribute. He said, “It is great. One of the best parts of our team is how deep we are. Boone is a 30-goal scorer and technically our fourth-line center. That is unbelievable. When everyone looks the same without the puck, we are hard to play against.”
Bowness added, “We are not relying on one line or one guy. We have balance. Boone’s line was outstanding. Charlie’s line was good. Mo’s line scored. Defense chipped in. They have all bought into defense first, and now they see the results.”
Plenty Of Work To Do
A common theme across the Blue Jackets’ room was that there is still a lot of work to do. No one was satisfied with simply jumping into a playoff spot – they know how tight the Metropolitan Division and wild card race is, but the Blue Jackets are now in position to be in position.
Bowness made that clear when talking about feeling accomplishment holding a playoff spot. “Do not even think about it. We will think about it when we see the X. We have one thought: Seattle. Then the Island. The rest takes care of itself.”
Werenski said the same thing. “You get into a playoff spot, you want to stay there. But no matter what happens, we are going to keep pushing. We have come a long way. We will enjoy this one and move forward tomorrow.”
The Blue Jackets will have Friday off before a massive back-to-back this weekend. They host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, then head to Long Island to face the Islanders on Sunday in what will be the biggest game of the season to this point.
