RESULT: The Columbus Blue Jackets win 5-4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs
DATE: April 18, 2017
LOCATION: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
WHAT HAPPENED: A city taking a deep collective breath.
The Stanley Cup playoffs at the beginning of the season for the Blue Jackets was a pipe dream. A modest improvement would've been acceptable and no one would've batted an eye. That wasn't the Blue Jackets' season. They defied expectations over and over again.
They came into their series against the Penguins as underdogs and rightfully so. They're the defending Stanley Cup champions for a reason.
Just for a night though, any and all preconcieved notions were thrown out the window. Down 3-0 in the series, a silver lining was going to be gladly accepted.
Luckily for the Blue Jackets, they started quickly and never took their foot off of the gas. Jack Johnson and Josh Anderson would score the opening goals in the first period. Going into the first intermission with the lead was important after their prior failings in the series.
One of the difference makers in the game came from an unlikely place. Markus Nutivaara, who was mostly relegated to the bottom pairing for most of the season played like a bat out of hell. He was fast and agile when the Blue Jackets needed that type of player. It only made sense that he would score the first goal in the second period to make it 3-0.
The series wasn't much of a coming out party for the Blue Jackets but it may be just that for Nutivaara. He played through an injury that required surgery and was a spark plug for the team.
The Penguins would come back to score two goals before the second intermission. Bringing the score to 3-2.
The suspense for the third period was palpable and it didn't take long for the tension to be cut. Only 30 seconds into the third period, William Karlsson with one sensational individual effort put the Blue Jackets ahead 4-2.
Karlsson was a bottom-six center that showed up when it mattered in the series. He proved to be an invaluable scoring threat for the team. They were lacking options and he stepped up.
Boone Jenner after the game had the most simple quote about the goal: "That was a big goal by Karlsson. That boosted our play."
What an understatement.
The Penguins would score another goal before Jenner would add an insurance goal for the team. Jake Guentzel would score with less than a minute left in the game. In reality, the Penguins didn't threaten much in that third period.
Nonetheless, the Blue Jackets won 5-4 winning their first ever regulation playoff game.
Moral victories tend to muddy the waters. In the moment they may not seem like much but they end up becoming a building block. This was one of those moments.
Putting it in a vacuum, a short handed Blue Jackets team was able to get great play from their young players. They will be able to identify players that made a difference when it mattered most.
Team and fans alike were able to prove pessimists wrong for just one more game.
Just for a night, the offseason didn't seem so imminent.
