Just when we thought the Blue Jackets might fall out of the race, they climbed right back into it. After a disappointing loss at home on Monday, they headed to Tampa Bay for a game against one of the league's best teams. But to our surprise, on tired legs, they went in and got the job done, winning 5-2.
This one started a lot like Monday's game against the Kings did. The Jackets peppered the Tampa Bay net in the first period, but found themselves down 1-0. The Lightning scored at 13:38 of the period off of a deflection, despite not having the puck all that much.
Fortunately, the Blue Jackets did not wilt. They continued to work hard, and the offense started rolling in the second period. Ivan Provorov tied the game with a shot that found its way through a mess of bodies.
Then, newcomer Conor Garland gave the team the lead just 30 seconds later. That lead was extended to 3-1 just five minutes later, with Kirill Marchenko scoring on the power-play. Suddenly, the crowd at Benchmark International Arena was very quiet.
The Lightning would close the gap to 3-2 late in the second, but that's all the closer they could get. Garland scored his second of the night-and fourth in two games-early in the third period, giving the Jackets another two goal lead. Dante Fabbro would put this one away with an early empty net goal.
Overall, I thought the Blue Jackets played one of their best games of the season. Here are the three things that stood out to me.
Three things that stood out...
1. They stuck to CBJ hockey for a full 60 minutes. This is an area that this team has struggled with at times, even since Rick Bowness took over behind the bench. When the game gets hectic, they often have a tendency to get away from playing above the puck.
That is what has had this team on a winning path since the coaching change in January. Bowness preaches playing on the defensive side of the puck, then playing aggressive hockey and not sitting back.
For 60 minutes last night, no matter the circumstance, I thought the Blue Jackets did an excellent job in that scheme. Look no further than the third period, where the Lightning only put 6 shots on Elvis Merzlikins as they tried to tie the game.
They made life difficult on the Lightning, and did not cheat for offense. They played smart hockey, and then took advantage of the chances they were given. This is the winning formula for this team, and they are good enough to beat anybody in the league when they play this way. We saw that last night.
2. Cole Sillinger lit the fuse. One of our keys to the game yesterday: this team needed a spark. They got it from one of the guys who knows how to provide it.
Late in the first period, with the Blue Jackets trailing 1-0, Cole Sillinger took a big hit from Ryan McDonagh as he tried to dump the puck into the zone. I think this play is what ignited the torch that led the Blue Jackets to victory last night.
That's because Cole got up and went on a rampage. He threw two big hits in the Tampa Bay end, with the second one coming against J.J. Moser. Moser did not like the hard check, and he immediately went back at Sillinger with a heavy cross-check before the two dropped the gloves and fought.
After that moment, the Blue Jackets out-shot the Lightning 24-14 through the rest of this game, with 4 of those Lightning shots coming on back-to-back power-plays late in the second. That's as dominant a performance as you will see any team have in Tampa Bay.
I couldn't help but think back to the legendary speech from John Tortorella to his team after game 1 of the 2019 Playoff series against this same team. By dropping the gloves and not wilting, Cole Sillinger showed his team that they are good enough to play with-and beat-this Lightning team. It is a mindset, just like Torts said.
3. The penalty kill won this game. Face the facts here: this was all for nothing if the Blue Jackets couldn't kill off two penalties late in the second period last night. Fortunately, they did.
The Lightning dished the puck around quite a bit, and got some good looks on Elvis Merzlikins. But, the Blue Jackets goaltender stood tall and made the saves, and the penalty killers got timely clears. It all clung together and worked.
That was the difference in the game. If Tampa Bay converts on one or both of those chances, this was probably a much different outcome. By killing them off, the Blue Jackets essentially clipped their wings and never allowed them any momentum.
The result was a 5-2 win where they allowed just 12 even strength shots on goal. That's effective hockey, and it was a big 2 points in the standings. Let's hope they can keep this thing rolling now.