The Blue Jackets don’t like to lean on Sergei Bobrovsky as much as they do at times, but they needed him Tuesday night in the first period against the Red Wings.
A huge game in the playoff race, both teams dead even with 71 points and less than 20 games to go, this one held added significance in the big picture. Detroit was all over Columbus early, out-shooting the Jackets by an 18-8 margin in the first period and forcing Bobrovsky to be excellent. Thankfully for the Blue Jackets, he was just that.
Bobrovsky finished with 39 saves in a 4-1 victory for the Blue Jackets in a game with significant playoff implications, and he bailed his teammates out after a sluggish start.
Early penalty trouble got the Jackets out of their four-line rhythm but they found a renewed energy in the second period, and they came out playing an ornery game that forced the Red Wings to retreat and commit turnovers. This was a 1-1 hockey game – a spirited one at that – entering the third period, and with the game in the balance, the Blue Jackets slammed their foot down on the accelerator.
Boone Jenner gave the Jackets a 2-1 lead with a sneaky top-shelf wrister after he walked off the goal line, beating Petr Mrazek (who was a late replacement for the ill Jimmy Howard) over the glove side at 10:08 of the third period. The goal came shortly after a clutch penalty kill by the Blue Jackets, and it ignited a crowd that was begging for something to scream about.
Less than a minute later, it got even louder.
Matt Calvert shrugged off Red Wings defenseman Jonathan Ericsson as he crossed the Detroit line, and one-handed a pass to Brandon Dubinsky who finished the play off, making it 3-1 Columbus just 40 seconds after the Jenner goal. The Jackets, line by line, continued to pour over the boards and relentlessly hunt down pucks. It made for a long final five minutes for the Red Wings, and a steeper climb after Derek MacKenzie scored with 4:12 to play.
With the victory, the Blue Jackets (73 points) climbed into the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, even with Philadelphia in points but ahead based on regulation/overtime victories.
Click here to read more.
About Marion Online Sports
