Werenski has 3 assists in 1st, Blue Jackets top Kraken to push point streak to 12

COLUMBUS -- Zach Werenski had three first-period assists for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who extended their point streak to 12 games with a 5-2 win against the Seattle Kraken at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

Cole Sillinger had a goal and two assists, and Mathieu Olivier had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets (37-21-11), who have won four in a row during an 8-0-4 run and are 19-2-4 in their past 25 games. Elvis Merzlikins made 15 saves.

“When we're playing with this passion and this energy and bringing it in front of our fans and it's desperate hockey and each game we play is the most important one,” Sillinger said, “I think our group's doing a really good job of staying in the moment and just recognizing opportunities in the moment, and then that just builds off of itself.”

Columbus remained one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

“We know where we're at,” Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson said. “We've battled this far to get in the position we're in, to kind of battle back and put us in a good spot here moving forward.

“All the teams we’re playing are in the hunt for the playoffs down the stretch here, so our games are dwindling down but if we keep playing like that, we're going to have success more often than not.”

Kaapo Kakko had a goal and an assist, and Joey Daccord made 23 saves for the Kraken (31-29-9), who have lost three straight and seven of nine (2-7-0).

“They seemed like they wanted it more tonight,” Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour said. “Obviously, we're a desperate team but we've got to be even more desperate now.”

Seattle is two points behind the Nashville Predators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

Danton Heinen gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead at 2:48 of the first period when his shot deflected off a Kraken player.

Severson extended it to 2-0 at 8:58 with a slap shot from the right circle off a Werenski pass.

The Blue Jackets were relentless on the forecheck.

“If you defend the whole shift and then get the puck, you don't have much left and then kind of dump it and change,” Kakko said. “I think that was the game today.”

Olivier pushed it to 3-0 at 15:16. He was at the crease with his back to the net when he blindly whipped the puck between the skates of Kraken forward Jani Nyman.

“Our first period I thought we were OK; our fourth line can't get scored on three times so, we need more out of those guys in that situation,” Seattle coach Lane Lambert said. “They’re a big, veteran, heavy team; you could argue they're the best team in the League right now based on their record over the last 25 games.”

Vince Dunn made it 3-1 at 16:17, taking a cross-seam pass by Kakko in the left circle before putting a slap shot to the upper-right corner.

Kakko’s power-play goal cut it to 3-2 at 8:31 of the second period, squeezing a shot past Merzlikins at the right post.

Kent Johnson extended it to 4-2 at 9:33. Adam Fantilli’s outlet created a 2-on-1 and Conor Garland sent a backhand pass through the paint to Johnson for his first goal in 13 games.

It was redemption for Johnson, whose penalty for high-sticking Ryker Evans led to the second Seattle goal.

“He's learning how to play, he understands now that playing without the puck is just as important as playing with the puck, and he's had his looks”,” Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. “Even though he wasn't scoring and he was getting the chances, he was still being pretty reliable defensively, and it's great to see him score.”

Sillinger scored an empty-net goal at 17:34 of the third period for the 5-2 final.

NOTES: Werenski extended his point and assist streaks to three games (seven assists) and became the third player in Blue Jackets history to record multiple three-assist periods, joining Artemi Panarin (three) and Cam Atkinson (two). … Fantilli has eight points (three goals, five assists) in a six-game point streak. … Kraken forward Jared McCann missed the game with a lower-body injury for the Kraken. Lambert did not have an update. … Seattle forward Eeli Tolvanen had an assist in 15:39 of ice time after missing two games with an upper-body injury.