Blue Jackets best the Stars in a tight checking matchup at Nationwide

Against the odds, the Blue Jackets rallied last night and found a way to pick up a big win against the Dallas Stars. Zach Werenski stepped up and scored a big goal, and the Jackets were able to use their shootout prowess to secure two points.

40 minutes of low event hockey and one brutal turnover.

It certainly was not an easy win for the home team. The first two periods were as advertised: a complete slog.

Neither side wanted to cave, with scoring chances coming at a premium as both sides slowed play down through the middle of the ice. At the end of the second period, the game was essentially a stalemate.

Shots on goal were 19 apiece, and nearly every other statistical category was basically a dead heat. As the teams came out for the third period, nothing had been decided as both teams waited for the other side to blink.

The Jackets blinked first. Just as we were afraid, they made that one big mistake at an unfortunate time. Ivan Provorov went to circle his own net with the puck, but lost it right into the slot due to a quick pressure from the Stars forecheck.

They picked it up and fired a shot on goal, which Cam Talbot was able to parry away. But he wasn't able to stop the rebound chance, as Mikko Rantanen found the puck, dusted it off, and fired it into the net. He could have probably taken the time to tie his laces, if he wanted to.

The turnover was one thing. Mistakes happen. What was frustrating about that goal is how the Blue Jackets recovered. Narrator: they did not recover. Two guys tried to play goalie, and neither of them were the goalie. A third guy coasted in to the weak side post and guarded nothing. The result was all three left watching while the Stars opened up the scoring.

That late rally was fun.

It was only one goal, so the Jackets were still in the game. I thought they looked pretty shaky for a bit if I'm being honest. Lots of pucks off the glass, and deep into the corner. Essentially, they did not look like a team that was going to mount a comeback last night. They looked to be sticking to the safe plan.

All of that changed with one shift. A long stretch pass to Matthew Knies opened up the neutral zone, which is something that did not happen all that often last night. Rather than flipping the puck into the corner, he gained the blue line and backed off the Stars defense.

That was the mistake from their side. Kent Johnson looped in behind and took the puck, buying time and space before finding a streaking Zach Werenski. Zach marched right down the slot and scored on the backhand, bringing the game level with less than 4 minutes to go.

Sometimes, it's not about playing smart hockey anymore. Sometimes, you need someone to make a timely play and score a goal. Thank goodness they figured that out, because man, it felt like the entire organization needed that goal.

Last night was a playoff type game, and against one of the biggest contenders in the league. To even get to overtime is a testament to how well the Jackets played. But even better, they were able to steal the win in the shootout.

Valeri Nichushkin and Kent Johnson both scored off of nifty dekes, while Cam Talbot stopped both Dallas shooters he faced. It resulted in a big two points, bringing the Jackets back to .500 on the season. Lets hope they can build off of back-to-back wins against two of the best teams in the league this week.

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