What a finish.
On a night that was an exercise in futility for the first two periods, the Columbus Blue Jackets didn't just get themselves back into the game – they took the whole damn thing, thanks to their biggest stars.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RED WINGS | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
The comeback wouldn't have happened without Artemi Panarin's record-breaking night. His third point of the night was his 80th on the season, breaking Rick Nash's franchise record. That point came in the form of a clutch, highlight-reel goal.
THE RECORD BREAKER FOR PANARIN.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/mxdvBghCNS
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 4, 2018
That goal sent what was at one time a 4-1 game into overtime, and the Blue Jackets' much-maligned penalty kill unit stood strong in overtime, giving them a chance to claim both of the game's points.
Pierre-Luc Dubois made sure they did, turning and firing a puck past Jimmy Howard off of a nice play by Ryan Murray and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
The comeback started back in the second period, though, as Cam Atkinson knocked home his second of the game to make it a 4-2 deficit. The rest of the period was an odd mix of encouraging and frustrating, as that was the only tally for Columbus despite out-shooting their opponents 20-3. Three different pucks rang off the post in that period alone.
But then the comeback really gained some traction in the third period, after a Sonny Milano tap-in.
Hello there, Sonny Milano. #CBJ within striking distance now. pic.twitter.com/mE3tAMqIg2
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 4, 2018
In the end, the Blue Jackets erased a 4-1 lead by the visitors, who were led by a pair of goals for Tyler Bertuzzi. The Jackets also struggled initially on the penalty kill, surrendering two goals – one late in the first and one early in the second – to turn a 2-1 game into a 4-1 game.
On the flip side, the Blue Jackets' power play looked rather crisp for the second game in a row, going 3/5 thanks to the two Atkinson goals and the Panarin show stopper.
Perhaps lost in the whirlwind of excitement at the end of the game was this absolute beauty of a pass from Seth Jones to Cam Atkinson for the Jackets' first goal.
Quick movement on the power play and Atkinson finishes this slick pass from Jones. Good response after allowing the initial goal.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/hTtBFDvDWi
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 3, 2018
Injury Update
Jack Johnson returned to action Tuesday, filling in for Markus Nutivaara. Nick Foligno will miss another one to three weeks with a lower body injury, while Josh Anderson remains sidelined with a knee injury and won’t return until mid-April. Lukas Sedlak and Dean Kukan are both listed as day-to-day.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets play their final Metropolitan Division game and next-to-last game overall Thursday at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:00 p.m. on Fox Sports Ohio. They'll then finish the regular season on the road against the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.
