Labatt What We Learned: CBJ 3, ARI 2 (SO)

First off, you feel great for Curtis McElhinney.
More on him in a minute.
You also feel good for the Blue Jackets, who could have easily gone down a frustrated road with the way this game was shaping up. It was shades of Apr. 3, 2012, when Mike Smith backstopped the Coyotes to an improbable 2-0 win over Columbus with a 54-save shutout performance…but this is a different team and that different team made sure this game had a different ending.

"You just have to keep going and see what happens," said game-tying goal scorer Alex Wennberg.
The Blue Jackets set a new franchise record with 60 (yes, that's 6-0) shots on goal in regulation and overtime, tying the game late and getting two shootout goals to prevail 3-2 at Gila River Arena - despite another incredible night from Smith that nearly thwarted it. Wennberg's sixth goal of the season came on the Blue Jackets' 49th shot, and after a scintillating 3-on-3 overtime, Cam Atkinson and Sam Gagner scored shootout goals while McElhinney slammed the door at the other end.
Columbus heads home with a 14-5-4 record and 32 points. The Blue Jackets' five regulation losses are the fewest in the NHL.

Here's what we learned:
Take a bow, Curtis McElhinney: All three of McElhinney's starts this season have required overtime, and after losing the first two, he was the sole reason the Blue Jackets survived one of the most entertaining overtime periods we've seen. He stopped a pair of 2-on-1s, a 2-on-0, a point blank chance and then stopped the NHL's best shootout player, Radim Vrbata, with a confident pad save to set up Gagner's clincher. McElhinney made 32 saves in regulation and overtime and Tortorella said there was no player he felt happier for than his goaltender, who played a big role in a big win.
"Mac was unbelievable in the overtime," Tortorella said. "I can't say enough about him."

Never say die: The Blue Jackets are the first NHL team in seven years to record 60 shots on goal in a game. And almost forgotten in all of the excitement later in the game was how they started; Boone Jenner's opening goal 13 seconds in was the third-fastest to start a game in Blue Jackets history…which made the time between Jenner and Wennberg's goals feel like an eternity. They persisted in the third period and threw everything they had at Smith, who put on one of the best goaltending performances in recent memory. Rather than let it consume them, the Blue Jackets kept a level head and kept coming in waves, using four lines and three defense pairs that were left unchanged for most if not all of the game. They improved to 6-2-3 on the road this season and are unbeaten in regulation (4-0-1) in their last five games overall.
"I thought our team just stayed with it," Tortorella said. "There was no panic. It took us a while to get that tying goal, but we got it done."
"For us, it was a matter of us continuing the press and it was a nice goal to tie it," said Gagner. "We were able to find a way."

Even strength domination: Despite some glorious opportunities on the power play, including an extended 5-on-3 in the third period, the Blue Jackets could not get one by Smith with the man advantage. Instead, they did their work at even strength in this game and dominated for long stretches, particularly in the third period. Columbus finished the night with a whopping 62 shot attempts in 5-on-5 situations (62.3 percent) and got 41 shots through to the Arizona net at even strength. They did not change their approach, they stayed on the attack, and eventually broke through with a clutch goal from Wennberg late in regulation.
"Some of the saves (Smith) was making were incredible," McElhinney said. "We just kept getting pucks to him. It's a lot of fun to play in those types of games."