FINAL: Blue Jackets 5, Canucks 0

Columbus (41-31-4) got a key win in Vancouver on Sunday night to pull within two points of the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot, downing the home Canucks (32-34-10) by a 5-0 score in Rogers Arena.
Game in a Paragraph
Needing a victory, Columbus took a 1-0 lead in the first period and quickly increased it to 3-0 early in the second period. From there, the Blue Jackets turned in a workmanlike performance, adding two goals in the third to put an exclamation point on a win that ended a three-game losing skid (0-2-1).

Quote of the Game
Pierre-Luc Dubois: "It felt good. At the beginning of the game, we talked about having fun and going out there and attacking. I thought we did a good job of that. I think every line played fast, got pucks to the net and created chances. Everyone should feel good about a game like that."
CBJ Notables
Quick Recap
There were some nervous moments for both sides in the opening minutes, including for the Blue Jackets as Loui Eriksson deflected a shot on the first shift of the game that drew a key pad save from Bobrovsky.
Both teams also had 2-on-1 chances early, but could not convert as Bobrovsky stopped Markus Granlund shorthanded and Thatcher Demko turned aside Dubois.
But finally with 3:41 left in the period, Columbus got on the board as Anderson scored his 25th goal of the season. The big winger came in on the rush along the right side and roofed a shot from the circle short-side past Demko to make it 1-0.
Columbus then had a bright start to the second, quickly making it 3-0 before the first media timeout. First, Dubois cut into the slot from the right after taking a cross-ice feed from Artemi Panarin and beat Demko over the blocker 56 seconds into the period. Then, a puck deflected right to Dzingel in the slot, and he quickly tucked a backhander by Demko at 6:02 to make it 3-0.
Bobrovsky had to make some nice stops on the penalty kill as Bo Horvat and Granlund each got looks at different times in the second period, but the CBJ goalie stood strong on each bang-bang attempt.
He also made a sterling stop on Tanner Pearson on the first shift of the third period.

From there, Columbus put the nail in Vancouver's coffin when Oliver Bjorkstrand took a pass in the slot from Boone Jenner and wired a laser over Demko's glove to make it 4-0 with 12:28 to play for his 16th goal of the year.
Anderson put the cherry on top with his second goal of the night with 9:06 remaining, scoring right after a Jackets penalty kill. He picked up the puck near his own blue line, carted it the length of the ice on a 2-on-1 with Jenner, and fired clean past Demko.
By the Numbers
Dzingel's goal was his 24th of the season between Columbus and Ottawa, giving the trade deadline acquisition a new career high. … The Blue Jackets ended a five-game winless streak on the road and improved to 21-14-2 away from home. … Columbus held Vancouver to 0-for-3 on the power play, and the Jackets have now killed 80 of 88 (90.9 percent) penalties since Dec. 31. … The Blue Jackets are now 4-0-1 in their last five games in Vancouver and ended a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) in the overall series. … Alex Wennberg had a season-high four shots on goal and an assist. ... Demko finished with 28 saves on 33 shots against. ... Vancouver was shut out for the 10th time this season. ... Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn had 12 hits, more than the entire CBJ team (nine).
Roster Report
Bobrovsky returned to the lineup after missing Thursday's in Edmonton with an upper-body injury. In addition, Markus Hannikainen played for the first time since March 5 in place of Eric Robinson, while Dean Kukan entered the lineup for Scott Harrington. Captain Nick Foligno continued to be away from the team as he deals with a personal matter. Other scratches included Lukas Sedlak, as well as goalies Keith Kinkaid and Elvis Merzlikins.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets return home to begin a two-game homestand with a crucial game Tuesday night vs. the New York Islanders at Nationwide Arena. The puck will drop at 7 p.m.