After CBJ wins, we'll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we'll remember from the Blue Jackets victory.
BLUE JACKETS 4, ISLANDERS 3, SHOOTOUT
1. The Blue Jackets stuck with it through a roller coaster of emotions to get a much-needed victory on Long Island.
In what felt like a must-win game, with two key veterans back on the ice, the Blue Jackets took the ice against the Islanders and … well, it wasn’t pretty to start.
Columbus was outshot 17-6 in the first period and went back to the locker room down 2-0, and it felt like the season might be hanging in the balance with what would happen over the next 40 minutes.
“The first period wasn’t us at all, obviously,” captain Boone Jenner said. “For whatever reason, we weren’t playing our game. We were turning pucks over, losing battles. We talked about it, us in this room, that all year, we haven’t accepted that. We knew we had to be better.”
And they were. Columbus got back into the game with a pair of goals in the middle frame, tying the score on tallies by Adam Fantilli and Jenner, then watched the Islanders score in the final minute of the second to take a 3-2 lead.
It was another gut-check time, and the Blue Jackets responded. A desperate Columbus team outshot the Islanders 17-4 in the final period, pushing and pushing until Kirill Marchenko’s shot beat goalie Ilya Sorokin with 7:04 to play.
There were also some reviews of note – a goalie interference challenge on the Isles’ second-period goal that didn’t go the CBJ’s way, and then one that did on a potential winner for New York with 9.6 seconds left – that will certainly lead to some chatter, but the Blue Jackets kept their wits about them. After a tight overtime period, Fantilli scored the only goal of the shootout, roofing a sweet backhand past Sorokin, and the Blue Jackets ended a six-game losing skid.
The win pulled Columbus to within two points of the Eastern Conference’s final wild card spot, and it all stemmed from their ability to get going after the tough start.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” head coach Dean Evason said. “We’re trying to score, trying to do way too much instead of just simplifying our game and getting after it and doing what we did in the last two periods as far as getting pucks deep and getting after it and doing what we do.
“It’s no negative that they’re trying their butts off to score goals and to win hockey games and get two points, but you still have to go about it intelligently. Once they adjusted themselves, we played the right way.”
2. The returns of Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson proved critical.
It should be no surprise that in the heat of a playoff race, experience and leadership matter, and both of those players provide those.
In their respective returns after missing 66 games (Gudbranson) and 28 games (Monahan) with upper body injuries, the two “had their fingerprints all over” the win, in the words of Evason.
Monahan skated 18:51 and contributed two assists to the victory, while Gudbranson was on the ice for 16:18 and was awarded the donkey player of the game hat in the locker room postgame.
“It’s huge getting those guys back,” Jenner said. “I can’t say enough about each of them, what they bring on the ice and in the room here, just true pros that have been around for a long time. You add those two guys in your locker room, it's gonna help you. They’ve battled extremely hard, we’ve seen firsthand, to get back and come back at a crucial time of year.
“They both jumped in, played great today after missing a lot of time. It’s not easy, but they played great, and we’re happy to get that win for them and happy they’re back with us.”
With almost 1,600 games of NHL experience combined, the two know what it takes to win this time of year and what to expect jumping back into the lineup for such a key game.
“The legs and lungs felt good,” Monahan said. “It’s the speed of the game, and it's hard to recreate that when you’re skating by yourself for a while, but it was good. I got a lot of opportunity to play some important minutes, and when you’re out there in those times it keeps your details in check. It’s nice to come out of here with a win.”
3. The CBJ penalty kill turned in some game-changing efforts in the victory.
In a game where the shots and chances were basically even at 5-on-5, special teams can take on an outsized role, and that’s the way it was for the Blue Jackets penalty kill in this game.
The Blue Jackets were shorthanded three times, and in each instance, they were able to build momentum off the PK. Columbus’ kill outshot the Islanders 2-1 during those three penalties, including the shorthanded goal by Jenner that tied the score in the second period.
“I was just trying to get it through them, make sure it doesn’t get blocked, and exactly that, use them as a screen,” Jenner said of his goal, which went off the leg of Islanders D Noah Dobson and skipped past Sorokin. “I think it took a couple of bounces and found its way in, so obviously a good bounce for us there.”
The Jackets didn’t score on the other two kills, but they used both to help turn the tide at key times. Fantilli’s opening CBJ goal was less than two minutes after a strong Jackets kill, and the excellent third period came after the Jackets killed off a delay of game penalty for an unsuccessful goalie interference challenge.
“Special teams are huge,” Monahan said. “Penalty kill, you’re trying not to get scored against. That was a huge goal for us to boost our team by Boone, a great shot. Special teams at this time of year, they can win and lose you games for sure.”
