Columbus Blue Jackets Maul Panthers for 10th Straight Win
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The streak version 2.0 rolls on for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Just a year after their historic 16 game winning streak the CBJ have compiled another double digit streak after downing the Florida Panthers.
The first period wasn’t dominated or controlled by anyone but the Panthers outshot the Jackets 14-11. The turning point in the whole game though came late in the scoreless first. Matt Calvert was called for elbowing with just overt two minutes left in the period. Without one of their best penalty killers the Jackets had a real challenge on their hands against a lethal Panthers power play.
The Jackets stepped up big though. They killed off the Panther power play and went into the first intermission with all of the momentum. The game was theirs from that point on.
They came in the 2nd and Cam Atkinson scored in the first minute on a goal was set up by a great Artemi Panarin pass. The flood gates were open. Sonny Milano would score his 13th goal of the season two minutes later.
In his first game back since injury Seth Jones made his presence felt and chipped in on the scorers sheet with a power play goal two minutes after Milano’s goal. Less than six minutes after killing of a Florida power play the Jackets had a 3-0 lead and the game was all but over.
Sergei Bobrovsky would lock the game down making a half dozen great saves to preserve the shutout. Thomas Vanek continued to be the biggest steal of the trade deadline and added an empty netter to cap the game at 4-0.
Metro Movement
The 4-0 win has the CBJ tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the Metro. The Pens have a game in hand though and own the tiebreaker. The win though does put them one point clear of Philadelphia for third and both teams have played 75 games.
The bigger standings shift after this game was the advantage the Jackets now have on wild card contenders. The win over Florida gives the CBJ a eight point edge on with the Panthers having three games in hand. The union blue also have a seven point edge on the New Jersey Devils and are only two games ahead of them in the games played column.
The 10th win in a row is historic not only for the back to back double digit win seasons, but for historic playoff implications. The win almost certainly puts the Columbus Blue Jackets in the playoffs which will give them back to back post season berths for the first time in franchise history.
Next: Jones Returns, Johnson Scratched
Hockey fans in Ohio better get their playoff tickets now. The Jackets all but certainly punched their ticket last night.