PREVIEW: Blue Jackets quickly move on to battle Wild

BLUE JACKETS (32-29-4) at WILD (38-20-4)

If there's one thing we've learned in the last month, it's that the Blue Jackets can rarely be counted out.
All looked lost for the Jackets last night in Winnipeg when it appeared the Jets scored an empty-net goal to make it a 4-2 game in the final 20 seconds, but a penalty on the Jets gave Columbus new life, and Oliver Bjorkstrand's rebound goal at 19:46 of the third period tied the game at 3.
In the first 20 seasons in franchise history, the Blue Jackets had just 18 goals to tie the score in the final minute of regulation, but Bjorkstrand's goal was the third such tally in the past month, joining late equalizers by Jakub Voracek on March 5 vs. Boston and Zach Werenski on March 11 vs. Minnesota.
Unfortunately, the Jets scored early in overtime to get the two points in a 4-3 final, but the late fightback again showed that one of the youngest teams in the NHL is no pushover when adversity hits.
"We battled all the way to the end," Jack Roslovic said. "That goal was exciting. It was a great step to push back. We've always seemed to find a way to come back, and we did it again. We just couldn't finish at the end, but it's what we've been doing, what we've been building.
"We did a good job of keeping our team M.O., and that's working hard and making it a hard game on the other team. It's a testament to our willingness to battle and fight to the end. We're a good comeback team. There's a lot of fight in Columbus."
While the OT goal by Nikolaj Ehlers meant Columbus fell short of its 22nd win when trailing in a game and its ninth victory when trailing after two periods -- both of which are NHL bests entering the game even without the win last night -- it was another sign that the Jackets are in the midst of building something.
In all, it was an even game in Manitoba, with the Blue Jackets carrying play in the first despite a 2-0 deficit, Winnipeg responding in the second, and the teams battling pretty evenly in the third until the CBJ equalizer with the net empty.
"We're down 2-0 in this game," head coach Brad Larsen said. "It's not ideal. This isn't something we plan, obviously, but at the end of the day it doesn't shake them. They know we can score goals. They know we can come back in any game. It's a strange ending with the penalty and we think it's over, but again, they settle in, get focused and get the job done there.
"Kudos to these guys. We're a young team that finds a way to hang around. Our goal is to make sure we don't quit and we're always going to be in those games and fight, and tonight we did that. It's a great effort."
In all, while Columbus didn't get the result it wanted, but the Jackets won't have to wait long to bounce back with a game tonight in Minnesota.
"Obviously, two points would have been more fun, but we'll take one this time," Patrik Laine said. "Overall I think it was a pretty tight game, just couldn't finish in the end."

Know the Foe

It wasn't that long ago when these two teams met, as the Blue Jackets tied the game at 2 in the final minute with Werenski's goal and then won in a shootout in a game March 11 in Nationwide Arena.
And what many will likely remember was the physical nature of the game, as the Wild is one of the biggest and toughest to play against teams in the entire NHL. That's particularly true of what is known as the GREEF line, as the massive trio of Jordan Greenway, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno combines skill, grit and size to be one of the toughest lines in the league.
There is another bit of intrigue to this game as well as trade deadline acquisition Marc-Andrew Fleury is set to make his debut with the Wild after being acquired from Chicago. There, Fleury -- last year's Vezina Trophy winner -- made 45 starts and was 19-21-5 with a 2.95 goals-against average and .908 save percentage, though per MoneyPuck.com, he was 46th of 51 NHL goalies in goals saved above average per 60 minutes.
Minnesota -- which enters the game second in the Central Division -- also added forwards Tyson Jost (Colorado) and Nicolas Deslauriers (Anaheim) at the deadline, with Jost posting an assist in four games and Deslauriers scoring a goal in the two games he's played.
The hope is that adding Fleury will shore up the Wild in net, as Cam Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen have manned the pipes for a team that is just 19th in the NHL in team defense (3.13 goals allowed per game) and 22nd in penalty kill (76.1 percent). Scoring hasn't been an issue, really, for the Wild, with Minnesota checking in fourth in the NHL with 3.65 goals per game and 155 goals at 5-on-5, third in the NHL.
When it comes to the attack, things start with Kirill Kaprizov. The 24-year-old Russian won the Calder Trophy a season ago and is even better this year in his second season, placing 11th in the NHL with 33 goals and adding 45 assists (tied for 16th) for 78 points, good for a tie for eighth in the league.
There's plenty of scoring aside from him, though, as Mats Zuccarello is next, with the veteran winger posting a 19-44-63 line. Kevin Fiala is having a standout season with 21 goals and 35 assists for 56 points, while Ryan Hartman is second on the team with 26 goals among his 48 points. Foligno and Eriksson Ek each have 19 goals, Matt Boldy adds 12 tallies, and defenseman Alex Goligoski is plus-34 to place seventh in the NHL.