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Werenski's streak lives, Provorov nets Columbus Blue Jackets a point: 5 takeaways
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- Werenski's streak lives, Provorov nets Columbus Blue Jackets a point: 5 takeaways
Racking up wins by scoring six-plus goals has become a thing of the past for the black and Blue Jackets .
They're scrappier now, by necessity, and were forced to use another patchwork lineup Thursday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Utah Hockey Club at Nationwide Arena. Six lineup regulars are out, including leading goal-scorer Kirill Marchenko and top center Sean Monahan , so the Blue Jackets are running on fumes with the NHL's winter break mercifully in sight.
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It can't arrive soon enough in Columbus , where the Blue Jackets squeaked out a point against Utah while just keeping their heads above water in the push for a playoff spot.
Here are five takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets just outside a playoff spot after overtime loss to Utah Hockey Club
The good news coming out of the Jackets' OT loss Thursday is they're at 60 points and sit just one back of the Detroit Red Wings for the East's second wild card. They're two points back of the Ottawa Senators for the first wild card, and the Boston Bruins (60 points) are right there with them.
It's an exciting race amind a clogged field of teams, and that won't change regardless of what happens Saturday in the Jackets' pre-break finale on home ice against the New York Rangers .
Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski shoots against Utah on Thursday.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski boosts record season against Utah Hockey Club
After the Jackets' morning skate, defenseman Zach Werenski told reporters Thursday that he was leaning toward playing after missing Tuesday's loss in Buffalo with an apparent arm injury.
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Getting a couple of days off allowed the injury to heal enough that Werenski felt he could play. Werenski logged 29:16 on 27 shifts while extending his franchise-record home points streak to 20 games with a primary assist on partner Ivan Provorov 's short-handed goal late in the second period.
The goal tied it 2-2, while the assist was Werenski's 58thpoint of the season to set a franchise single-season scoring record by a defenseman in 16 fewer games than it took him last year to match the prior record held by Seth Jones at 57 points. Werenski has 17 goals, 41 assists and 58 points through 55 games and his point Thursday also separated him from former Buffalo Sabres defenseman John Van Boxmeer (1981-82) for the fifth longest home point streak by a defenseman in NHL history.
Werenski is a point behind Bruins legend Bobby Orr at 21 straight home games with at least a point in 1970-71 for the league's fourth-longest home points streak by a defenseman. Orr's 25-game streak set the bar three years later (1974-75).
Going into Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Ivan Provorov and the Blue Jackets have 70 points with 18 games left to play.
Ivan Provorov's goal streak gives Columbus Blue Jackets important point
Provorov's tally put some juice into the sellout crowd of 18,553, giving fans a reason to turn boos for referee Gord Dwyer into a roar as the veteran defenseman pumped his fist.
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Dwyer, who incensed the Blue Jackets on Sunday in Dallas with a spate of key calls that worked against them, again put Columbus in a bad spot with an added roughing minor assessed to Damon Severson following a fight late in the second period. Severson fought Michael Kesselring following a hit on Blue Jackets rookie Michael Pyyhtia, but was given an added roughing minor to his fighting major that gave Utah a power play while holding a 2-1 lead.
The Blue Jackets weren't thrilled with the call, but they killed off Severson's extra penalty and Provorov lifted the building's energy level with his first short-handed NHL goal in 669 career games. He scored it with five seconds remaining in Utah's power play, putting a charge into a building that was largely silent for much of the game's first 37 minutes. The goal pushed Provorov's goal streak to an NHL high of three straight games, and all three were scored at key moments.
Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson fights Utah defenseman Michael Kesselring on Thursday.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Damon Severson stands up for Mikael Pyyhtia
There used to be a time in the not-to-distant past for the Blue Jackets when hits like the one Kesselring put on Pyyhtia might've happened without a physical response.
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Severson's immediate response proved that's no longer an issue. He's not an enforcer who fights regularly, but the veteran defenseman will drop the mitts when he feels it's necessary. Kesselring's hit was one of those moments.
"I'm not a huge believer in having to fight after a hit by any means, but I just felt like it was one of those plays where ... he wasn't expecting (the hit)," Severson said. "It was a bit awkward for Pyyhtia. He was just in a vulnerable spot, for sure. I just figured I had a chance to step up for a teammate type of thing there. It's a split-second decision from what you see on the ice."
Columbus Blue Jackets, Utah Hockey Club draw large scouting presence
The scouting section in the press box was packed with 18 representatives from 14 NHL teams watching a matchup of teams that could go either way prior to the March 7 trade deadline. Scouts don't attend games just for trade assessment purposes, of course, but that does fall within their purview.
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Neither Utah nor the Blue Jackets held a playoff spot, but both could qualify for the postseason and have multiple pending free agents on their rosters. Those are just the type of "rentals" that could draw interest from opposing general managers.
Provorov, right wing Mathieu Olivier and center Sean Kuraly are three pending free agents for the Blue Jackets, along with forward Justin Danforth. Among the teams scouting Thursday's game live, the Carolina Hurricanes , Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche each sent two representatives — including Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland, a former Blue Jackets assistant GM.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Werenski, Provorov help Columbus Blue Jackets get a point: 5 takeaways
