The Columbus Blue Jackets were back in action at Nationwide Arena on Sunday afternoon, facing the Edmonton Oilers.
The Blue Jackets were once again skating without several key players such as Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski and Adam Boqvist, although they did get rookie Yegor Chinakhov back after missing over three weeks.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| OILERS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
The Oilers have already locked up a playoff spot but are battling for positioning with the likes of the Los Angeles Kings. Columbus was looking to put a dent in Edmonton's plans with an upset win.
Edmonton got on the board first, but each time they scored the Jackets had an answer for them. Then, the home team grabbed the lead off of Nick Blankenburg’s goal and never looked back as they cruised to a 5-2 lead, with the last goal coming off an empty netter.
Third All-Time
The Blue Jackets evened up the score at one apiece in the first period, off a backhand goal from Eric Robinson. The goal came off of a rebound from a Jake Voracek shot, giving the Czech forward an assist on the goal.
The assist was Voracek's 52nd on the season. This moved him into a tie with Ray Whitney for third all-time on the Blue Jackets' single season assists leaderboard. Artemi Panarin's 2017-18 total of 55 assists is currently in second place. Will three more games be enough for number 93 to move up one more spot?
Jake Voraceks 52nd assist of the season ties him for third in franchise history for assists in a season. The top two spots are owned by Artemi Panarin. #CBJ
— CBJ Stats (@BlueJacketStats) April 24, 2022
Blank Check
When the Blue Jackets decided to sign Kent Johnson for the last several games of this season, the club also signed his UM teammate and captain Nick Blankenburg. The undersized defenseman has quickly won people over with aggressive and heady play, whether it's sacrificing his body to block a shot or setting up plays for teammates in the offensive zone.
One game after Johnson got his second NHL point, Blankenburg also got with his second as he got an assist along with Voracek on Robinson's goal. He followed that up with his first NHL goal and second point of the afternoon.
He took a pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand, faked a pass to Voracek, and fired a wrist shot on the short side and past Mikko Koskinen. Blankenburg received the first star of the game for this performance.
Bjorkstrand is Back
Bjorkstrand had struggled mightily as of late, not registering a single point in the last 11 games. Well, that drought ended in this one against the Oilers, where he finished with three points.
He had two assists as well as a goal that tied the game, 2-2. He scored off a rebound from Cole Sillinger's shot, which was Bjorkstrand's career-best 25th goal of the season.
P.S. Powerful Play
The Blue Jackets have scored 37 power play goals this season, giving them an average of .47 PPG a game. However, they have stepped up in a big way as of late with three PPG in the last three games (an average of one per game).
Next Up
The Blue Jackets go on the road to face another playoff-bound team, the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena.
