Neither Todd Richards or his players liked the way they started Saturday’s game in Winnipeg.
They were a step behind and could not find a way to match the intensity of a desperate home side that had lost four straight coming into the game. The Jets, sporting a completely reconfigured lineup, had a goal disallowed early in the first period but opened the scoring minutes later and got the Blue Jackets reeling in the first period.
But one of the most important aspects of Saturday’s victory at MTS Centre was that the Blue Jackets kept the damage minimal after 20 minutes. They didn’t have a lot going in the first period but it could have been worse, and staying within striking distance set them up for a huge second period – one of their biggest offensive outbursts in quite some time.
The Blue Jackets scored four times in the second period with all four goals coming in a span of less than nine minutes, completely taking the Jets out of the game and quickly erasing a disappointing opening period.
Mark Letestu got it started shorthanded, converting a Derek MacKenzie pass 36 seconds into the second period and it kept on rolling from there. Cam Atkinson capped off a gorgeous passing play with his 13th of the season at 4:15 of the second period, Nick Foligno notched his 12th of the season at 8:26, and Boone Jenner scored his first career penalty shot goal at 9:07.
And each time the Jets tried to inch their way back into the game, the Blue Jackets responded with a timely goal.
Tobias Enstrom and Bryan Little scored goals to pull Winnipeg with one on two separate occasions, but those markers were answered by goals from Jenner (his second of the game) and Letestu (also his second) to put the game out of reach in the third period.
Curtis McElhinney, making the spot start in place of Sergei Bobrovsky, shook off a bumpy start and made 28 saves to earn the victory. With the win, the Blue Jackets moved above the .500 mark (21-20-4) for the first time since October, when they were 2-1-0 after a win in Buffalo.
It’s officially a winning streak now: the Blue Jackets have won three straight and return home to face Tampa Bay on Monday night.
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