Winning Thoughts: Blue Jackets keep the good vibes rolling vs. Kraken

After CBJ wins, we'll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we'll remember from the Blue Jackets' victory. 

BLUE JACKETS 5, KRAKEN 2

1. The Blue Jackets just kept rolling Saturday evening, and you can tell this team is enjoying itself.  

In pro sports, the amount of fun a team is having is usually directly correlated to how many games it’s winning, and the Blue Jackets certainly aren’t tired of winning at the moment. 

The 5-2 victory over the Kraken in front of a packed house at Nationwide Arena kept alive a bevy of runs, with Columbus tying its third longest point streak in team history at 12 games, as well as tying its longest home point streak ever at 12 games. The Blue Jackets are now 18-2-4 since head coach Rick Bowness took over, including four straight wins after downing the Kraken. 

This is enjoyable, isn’t it? 

“It’s been a lot of fun for the guys,” Bowness said afterward. “They’re enjoying this. They really are. You can see it and you can hear it. You guys don’t hear and see the locker room before the game and in between periods, out in the hallway, (but) they’re all into it. They’re really enjoying it, and that’s what gives me the most pleasure is that the guys are having fun. They’re having some success, yeah, but they’re really enjoying it.”

The fun started early on this night, as it took just 2:48 for Danton Heinen’s shot to ricochet off the ice and rise past Seattle goalie Joey Daccord. Six minutes and 10 seconds later, it was 2-0, as Damon Severson’s blast bested Daccord, and Mathieu Olivier made it 3-0 just over 15 minutes in when he got to the slot and beat the Kraken netminder with some help from defender Jani Nyman. 

The Blue Jackets let Seattle get back into the game a bit with a pair of goals, but just 62 seconds after the Kraken made it 3-2, Kent Johnson put Conor Garland’s centering pass home and Columbus was on the front foot from there. Finally, Cole Sillinger’s much-deserved empty-net goal capped a three-point night. 

After the game, the question was posed to Sillinger if this is the most fun he’s had in the NHL playing hockey in his fifth season.  

“I always have fun playing hockey,” Silinger said. “If you don’t have fun when you’re playing hockey, what’s the point? But obviously you want to win and you want to have this feeling and have this feeling sustained over time, so yeah, it’s certainly a great energy right now.” 

And much of it goes back to Bowness, whose hiring has turned around the season. Just over two months ago, he was retired and enjoying life on his boat in Florida, and now he’s coaching the hottest team in the NHL – and one that now has a two-point lead on the New York Islanders with 13 games to go heading into Sunday night’s showdown. 

“I’ve had no complaints,” Bowness said. “The guys, they make it a lot easier for me coming out of retirement. I love coming out of retirement for this. This is awesome. We’re all having fun. It’s all good right now, and tomorrow recover and we’ll have a big game tomorrow night.” 

2. The Blue Jackets shut down the Kraken in the third period with an impressive defensive display.  

In many ways, the story of the first half of the season was the Jackets’ inability to close out games, as nine times before Bowness’ arrival they held a third period lead only to fail to get the two points.  

We don’t want to tempt fate and say those days are totally over, but Columbus did show just how far it’s come at shutting teams down by the way it played in the third period against Seattle. The Kraken had just five shots on goal in the final frame on the way to only 17 in the game, and per Natural Stat Trick, just one was a high-danger chance.  

“I think we’re doing a really good job when we have leads to make sure they don’t get anything, and tonight was another example of that,” Sillinger said. “I just think throughout the last little while, when we have leads, (we’re) playing with that desperate 2-1 mentality and just executing it and getting the job done.” 

One got the sense as the third period went on that the Blue Jackets were in command of the situation, and the way they played throughout the frame was a textbook example of how to close a game with the lead. It continued all the way until Sillinger’s empty-net goal, as the CBJ forward got his stick in to disrupt a shot attempt, took the puck and sailed it the length of the ice to finish things off.  

“I think it’s gotten better, and I think we’re just playing a similar way and really aggressive and just winning battles, good sticks, reloading and good gaps for the D,” Johnson said. “So yeah, it’s been good.” 

3. In the latest example of everyone chipping in, Sillinger and Johnson ended lengthy streaks without goals to help the Blue Jackets to the victory. 

Throughout the last stretch, both CBJ youngsters have been playing a lot of good hockey. Johnson has started to look like the creative playmaker he was a season ago on the way to a career-high 57 points while creating chemistry with Sean Monahan and new acquisition Garland, while Sillinger has been a key part of the team’s impressive shutdown line with Charlie Coyle and Olivier.  

The only thing that hadn’t happened was the pair getting rewarded on the scoresheet for those efforts. Sillinger hadn’t scored a goal since Jan. 24, while it had been since Jan. 31 for the snakebitten Johnson, but both had key tallies against the Kraken.

“That’s a big boost,” Bowness said of those two getting on the board. “I think a guy like KJ, he’s a good example. He’s learning how to play. He understands now that playing without the puck is just as important as playing with the puck. He’s had his looks, but even though he wasn’t scoring, he was getting the chances, he was still being pretty reliable defensively. It’s great to see him score. 

“Cole, that line has been outstanding for us since I’ve been here. It’s nice to see them both score. They’re young kids, and they’re big games right now. Every game is important, and to come through and help your team win, that’s a pretty strong feeling for the guys.” 

Johnson said it felt good to see one go in, and his immediate thought was that he wanted to get another. Sillinger, meanwhile, hasn’t let the goal drought get to him, especially with the way he’s done so many other important duties for the team throughout the season. 

“It’s obviously nice to contribute that way,” Sillinger said. “I feel like if you look at this year, it just hasn’t been going in, but I evaluate the process and not really the end result. Right now, with our hockey team winning games, that’s the most important thing, and just continue to build and grow and learn. This is a great opportunity here.”