Labatt Blue What We Learned: CBJ 2, NJD 1

NEWARK, N.J. - John Tortorella didn't care what it looked like, as long as it ended with two points in the standing for the Blue Jackets.
"I have to coach them on how they're playing, but now you're down to 23 games left," he said, prior to the Jackets' 2-1 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday at Prudential Center. "We have to cure ourselves, and maybe playing a lousy game out here but finding a way at certain times to make big plays to win the game. That's the way the league is."
That's the way the game was, too.
It wasn't always pretty for Columbus, which put just six shots on goal in the final two periods, but ending a three-game winless skid was a thing of beauty for the Blue Jackets (30-25-5) - who reclaimed the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
After outshooting their previous nine opponents by a wide margin, the Jackets were outshot 20-6 in the final 40 minutes, 31-19 overall and didn't get their first shot in the third period until Zach Werenski sent a wrister to the net from 54 feet away.
It didn't matter, because Columbus flipped the script from its previous games this month - winning a game that could've been a loss. Asked after the game if it qualified as a "lousy" game the Blue Jackets won, Tortorella defined it a different way.
"I categorize that as a win," he said. "That's all we're concerned about right now, is finding ways to get two points, and we did tonight."
Columbus had outshot its previous nine opponents, which made Tortorella happy with the way they played in nearly every game. The problem was the Jackets went 2-6-1 during that stretch and lost their grip on both of the East's two wild cards.
This game was proof that finding ways to win is far more important than playing well, even though the ideal is to play great and come out on top.
"We have battled the consistency of making that next big play, and maybe finishing on a goal or getting the next big save or making the next big defensive play to win that game," Tortorella said. "We've been on the wrong side of that too much this year, and that's why you find us where we're at right now. We have had opportunities to win games, and we just have not done that consistently enough."
They did it Tuesday, but it was quite a task.
Boone Jenner gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the first period, and defenseman Scott Harrington gave the Blue Jackets the lead again, 2-1, in the second - about 12 minutes after Taylor Hall tied it for the Devils to start the period. From there, Columbus leaned heavily on goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 30 saves to rebound from a tough outing Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"We don't have very many opportunities left [to bounce back]," Bobrovsky said. "The schedule dictates what we have to do. We win tonight, but the next game [Thursday in Philadelphia] is the biggest for us."
Here's what we learned:

I: WHAT IT MEANS
The Blue Jackets hopped back into a spot that would qualify them for the Stanley Cup Playoffs if the season had ended Tuesday. They moved into the East's second wild card with 65 points after 60 games, skipping past the idle Carolina Hurricanes (60 games, 64 points) and New York Islanders (61 games, 64 points).
"It's do or die," defenseman Seth Jones said. "Every point counts at the end. I think it's going to be one of the tighter playoff races you're going to see from here on out. A point's probably going to decide it and the end, so we're going to need all we can get this season."
II: BOBROVSKY BOUNCES BACK
The goal Bobrovsky allowed, scored by Hall at 1:34 of the second, was one he'd probably like to have back. Otherwise, the Blue Jackets' goalie was sharp as the edge of a skate blade.
Bobrovsky made huge saves in all three periods to keep New Jersey at bay, one game after allowing five goals on 23 shots against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Following practice on Monday, Tortorella said Bobrovsky needs to be the Blue Jackets' best player down the stretch run of the regular season. Against the Devils, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner was exact that - responding with a strong performance while under siege the final two periods.
"[He] played really well, especially in the second period, where we turned some pucks over and didn't give ourselves a chance to forecheck," Tortorella said. "He made some key saves there, so he's a good goalie and we all know that. He certainly was a big part of it tonight."
Bobrovsky was asked how he's able to rebound from poor outings like the one against Pittsburgh, and said the key is just erasing it from memory.
"You just have to move, let it go, relax and forget about it," he said.
He was also asked if he ever takes his frustrations home with him, leaning on his wife to help him get past tough games.
"Not really," he said. "I don't like to talk about the hockey at home. Normally, I'm a husband. I try to be good husband at home, and that's it."
As for bouncing back from Hall's goal, one that snuck past him on the short side of the net off a shot from the right-wing circle, he said that's also part of his maturity as an NHL goalie.
"I don't know how to say it, [but] you just don't think about those hard plays," Bobrovsky said. "You just think about being in the moment, and you know your goal is two points. You focus on that."

III: THREE 'As' FOR THREE 'Js'
Nick Foligno's lower-body injury takes the Blue Jackets' captain off the ice for an estimated one-to-two weeks, but it also adds a third alternate captain to the lineup.
That third 'A' now belongs to Jones, who wore it on his sweater for the first time in a regular-season game and joined fellow alternate captains Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson.
Tortorella has mentioned Jones' growth in leadership multiple times this season, so it wasn't much of a surprise when the news was announced.
"There's no question he's the next one in line for that, the way he is," Tortorella said. "[He] hasn't said a word, but just the way he's led by how he plays ... yeah, that's well-deserved. He's going to keep on growing in that aspect of his game also."
Jones said prior to the game he'll continue leading the way he did without a letter on his chest.
"I try to lead by example as best I can anyway," he said. "We have quite a few vocal guys, and I put my two cents in when I think it's needed. I won't over-talk you, and I let my play do the talking for the most part. You're going to see the same player that I've tried to be all season, and we'll see where it goes."
Jones said he's not afraid to speak up when he feels it's needed, but won't just raise his voice for the sake of doing it.
"I'm not going to come in after every period or every loss and give a speech," he said. "That's not who I am. You don't want to force it. On the bench, if I see we're down a little bit, I try to pick us up. I'll pick individual players up, but I think guys will follow just from playing hard every shift … especially when we have [22] games left in the year."
IV: MIRROR IMAGE
If Harrington's goal brought back a feeling of déjà vu, there's a reason. The Blue Jackets' defenseman has scored two goals this season, and both were at Prudential Center against the Devils.
The similarities go beyond mere location, though.
Harrington's first goal was scored Dec. 8, from the high slot, off a pass from Artemi Panarin. It gave Columbus a 3-2 lead at 14:13 of the second period in that game, and was Panarin's third of five primary assists in the Jackets' 5-3 win.
Harrington's goal Tuesday, scored off another pass from Panarin, was also launched from the high slot at 13:10 of the second to give the Blue Jackets another one-goal lead, 2-1. This one was the eventual game-winner.
"I almost started laughing right after it went in," Harrington said. "I know [Panarin] was on the other side last time, but same spot for me. So, same building, same period. It's pretty funny, but obviously I'll take it."
Tortorella was happy to see it, too.
Yeah ... Harry Orr, huh?" he quipped. "He has a good shot. 'Harry' has a really good shot. It's a big goal. I'm glad for him. Obviously, we all pull for him ... as he bounces around. I bounce him out of the lineup, put him back in, so I'm happy for him."

V: HALL'S STREAK CONTINUES
Hall is on some kind of run right now for the Devils, who pulled even just 1:34 into the second period on his 25th goal of the season.
The goal extended his career-high point streak to 12 games, which started Jan. 30 against the Buffalo Sabres. The only reason it isn't much longer is a thumb injury that kept him out of action Jan. 22-25. Otherwise, it would be a 19-game point streak.
Officially, because of the games missed, it's not recognized as a full streak. Individually, it's the most consecutive games with a point for any player in Devils franchise history, topping Patrik Elias' 15 games in the 1999-00 season.
Hall has 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points in the 19-game span.
VI: RETURN OF THE 'ROVER'
Prior to the game, Tortorella said second-year defenseman Zach Werenski needed to get back to playing the way he did to start the season, which means looking for more opportunities to help out offensively and hesitating less.
Werenski is dealing with nagging pain from an upper-body issue that sidelined him four games in December. Tortorella has said it might be something he will deal with the rest of the season.
"There's a lot of things going on with 'Z' that I'm not going to talk to you guys about, but it's changed his game a little bit," Tortorella said. "He's got to find a way to play through some things that he has to go through when he plays … and I want him a rover. That's when he's the best, is when he's a rover, and I just haven't seen enough of that."
He saw it in the first period, including the play that led to the game's first goal. Werenski got the puck in the slot, sent a quick wrist shot that bounced off the right post and landed in the crease. Jenner poked it into the net for a 1-0 on his first goal in nine games.
"I grabbed 'Z' right away, on the first goal, when he was just trailing up," Tortorella said. "I think [Jenner] was forechecking, and 'Z' is right up the ice. We don't want him to play defense. We want him to be up there, and I yelled to him right away after we scored the goal, to keep on going."
Werenski also blocked a shot in the first period and put another shot on net. In the second, he also prevented a sure goal at the left post after the puck slid away from Bobrovsky.

VII: THIS AND THAT …
Defenseman Ryan Murray returned to the lineup after missing 35 games with an upper-body injury related to his back. He played 20:17 as Jack Johnson's partner on the second pairing, attempted one shot, had two hits, two takeaways and blocked a shot. … The Blue Jackets won the season series against the Devils, going 3-1-0 and winning three straight after losing the opener 4-1 on Dec. 5 at Nationwide Arena. … Brandon Dubinsky took two penalties, but Tortorella was happy with his overall play. The veteran center played 15:50, had three shot attempts, blocked a shot and won 12 of 16 face-offs (75 percent). … Jenner's goal was his second in the past 22 games, but also was his second straight game with a point. He has five points (one goal, four assists) in the past six games. ... Forward Zac Dalpe played his first game for the Blue Jackets since Nov. 6 against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Dalpe played 7:44 and was credited with one takeaway. Dalpe replaced Jussi Jokinen, who was a healthy scratch for the first time since making his Blue Jackets debut Jan. 18, when he was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings.
VIII: NEXT UP
Columbus will play another big game against a Metro opponent when the Blue Jackets play the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday (7 p.m., Fox Sports Ohio, Fox Sports Go, 97.1 FM).
The Flyers, who are third in the Metro with 70 points in 59 games, defeated the Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime Friday at Nationwide Arena. Each team is 1-0-1 in the first two games, after Columbus won 2-1 in a shootout Dec. 23 at Nationwide Arena.