That's not a wind gust, that's an exhale from the Blue Jackets dressing room.
Yes, a 4-2 win on Sunday in San Jose gets them back into a playoff spot for the time being, but the Jackets simply needed something to feel good about. They've melted at different times this week – notably in losses to Los Angeles and Anaheim – and their psyche was a little bit bruised.
Two of their stars took the reins tonight.
THE BOB
We said earlier today that Sergei Bobrovsky was going to need one of his better performances in this game. Well, he delivered. He was masterful throughout the game and a first-period save on Joe Pavelski set the tone; Bobrovsky made key saves in the second and third periods as San Jose continued to push for a tying goal, but the Jackets' No. 1 goaltender held it down.
This is the stuff they need from Bobrovsky to have a chance at the playoffs. After a suspect outing on Friday, his play tonight was a shot of confidence up and down the lineup.
KILLING IT
It's no secret: the Blue Jackets' penalty kill has, for much of the season, been a disaster.
Lately, though, they've started to turn a corner. And while you'd rather not test yourself as often as they did tonight, it's good to know the Blue Jackets can get the job done in a key spot. They gifted the Sharks with three first-period power plays (though the Zach Werenski hooking call was carved out of horseshit) and another in the second period, but the Jackets were stingy. And Bobrovsky, as you know, was a star.
BAKERY'S OPEN
Artemi Panarin is warming, my friends.
Two more goals for the Bread Man in this game give him 20 on the season, taking over the team's goal-scoring lead from injured Josh Anderson. Panarin's not just scoring but he's making a discernible impact on every shift; he's just a dangerous offensive player that has the opposition's full attention yet still manages to be creative. It's so impressive and enjoyable to watch him play, especially when he's slashing and weaving the way he did tonight.
Watch out for this guy. He's a needle-mover for the Blue Jackets.
STOUT DEFENSE
Major kudos to the defensive duo of Ian Cole and David Savard, who have been largely unflappable since joining up last week. Cole has been a nice addition to the blue line and it doesn't matter if he plays 13 minutes or 23, he brings a simple and no-frills style every night. We saw him cleaning the front porch in this game and even contributed offensively, ripping a slap shot on goal in the second period that Panarin deflected past Martin Jones.
Savard has been a shot suppression machine and the Sharks just couldn't generate anything when he was on the ice. They had one (1) high-danger scoring chance against Savard, while the Jackets had eight with him on the ice.
A BIG WEEK
It was important for the Blue Jackets to head back to Columbus with these two points, not solely for the obvious reason (playoff positioning) but also for what lies ahead. They're about to play three home games in a four-day span – all against non-conference opponents – with an opportunity to make up some ground.
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