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Records fall as Columbus Blue Jackets reclaim playoff spot: 6 takeaways
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- Records fall as Columbus Blue Jackets reclaim playoff spot: 6 takeaways
Anybody who thinks the Blue Jackets will run out of gas before making a strong final push for a playoff spot may want to rethink that prediction.
After showing resilience all season, they pushed back again Sunday at Madison Square Garden . Facing the New York Rangers in a showdown for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, the Blue Jackets overcame a blown 3-1 lead in the second period to win 7-3 in a blowout.
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More: Columbus Blue Jackets rout of New York Rangers 7-3 to reclaim playoff spot
It was another impressive rebound for the Blue Jackets (31-24-8), who dropped consecutive road games last week to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers . After moving back into a playoff spot, the Jackets have 19 games left to secure a postseason spot for the first time in five years.
Here are six takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Justin Danforth (17) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers with defenseman Zach Werenski (8) during the first period at Madison Square Garden.
Zach Werenski is Columbus Blue Jackets ' heartbeat
Zach Werenski's two assists pushed him past Rick Nash into the top spot among franchise assist leaders, but the win meant more to him.
Werenski, a defenseman, is leading the Blue Jackets in scoring with 68 points on 20 goals and 48 assists, but his value to the Jackets' stunning climb can't be measured in statistics. He's the heartbeat of a rapidly maturing team, and that showed yet again Sunday.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) celebrates his hat trick against the New York Rangers with defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) and left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) during the third period at Madison Square Garden.
Adam Fantilli continues to shine for Columbus Blue Jackets
Adam Fantilli notched the second hat trick of his career to push his season goal total to 21, eclipsing the 20-goal mark in his second NHL season.
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Fantilli scored two goals on the same shift to give the Blue Jackets a 3-1 lead early in the second and scored the game's final goal to make it 7-3. His first NHL hat trick was Jan. 22 in Toronto with his parents watching among a large contingent of family and friends from his hometown of Nobleton, Ontario.
In that one, his mom tossed her Blue Jackets hats onto the ice after his goal into an empty net. Fantilli, who was awarded the team's donkey hat as player of the game, celebrated this one like it was the 20thof his career. According to the NHL, Fantilli at 20 years, 148 days is the first player since former Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine to record multiple hat tricks in a season at age 20 or younger.
He's also tied for fourth in Blue Jackets all-time hat tricks with nine others, trailing Tyler Wright's three, Nash's five and Cam Atkinson 's six.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers with teammates during the second period at Madison Square Garden.
Columbus Blue Jackets unfazed by blown lead during power play
Fantilli's first two goals were scored 26 seconds apart early in the second. About four minutes later, it was tied 3-3 after the Rangers scored short-handed goals by Braden Schneider and Chris Kreider during the same Blue Jackets power play.
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Kreider's goal finished a 2-on-0 rush that resulted from a turnover at the Rangers' blue line. It was the kind of sequence that might've initiated a meltdown for the Blue Jackets in recent years, but not Sunday. Instead, they responded with goals by Mathieu Olivier and Dante Fabbro to lead 5-3 starting the third.
"Those two short-handed goals we gave up could've been the turning point in the game, but we handled it," Olivier told reporters who covered the game in New York. "We turned the momentum around and found a way to get it done, so ... really resilient, our group tonight."
A hat lands on the ice as Columbus Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli (19) celebrates his hat trick against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden.
Columbus Blue Jackets eclipse franchise high for six-goal games
The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with their 12thgame scoring at least six goals. The previous high of 11 was set in 2018-19 in a full 82-game season.
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This year's Blue Jackets, whose 210 goals rank seventh in the NHL thus far, have 19 games left to push the record for six-goal games even higher.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) brings the puck up ice against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden.
Mathieu Olivier shines in 'top six' role for Columbus Blue Jackets
Olivier has spent most of the season at right wing on the Blue Jackets third line, a step up from his role the past two years on the fourth line.
Olivier, 28, received another promotion at practice Saturday in Columbus. He moved to the second line with captain Boone Jenner and Kent Johnson , which paid dividends Sunday with the power forward adding two points on his 13thgoal of the season and the primary assist on Kent Johnson's 21st goal.
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Werenski fed Olivier a crisp pass late in the second period for his goal, and the stout power forward did the heavy lifting for Johnson's tally. Lowering his shoulder on a solo rush, Olivier shoveled a shot at goalie Jonathan Quick that led to the puck popping into the air for Johnson to bat into the net. Olivier has shattered his previous career high of five goals in each of the past two seasons and continues to show why he earned a six-year contract extension last week worth $18 million.
New York Rangers center Matt Rempe (73) fights for the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets center Luke Kunin (11) and goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) during the second period at Madison Square Garden.
Luke Kunin solid for Columbus Blue Jackets in debut
Luke Kunin's debut for the Blue Jackets ended with just under eight minutes left to play. He was penalized for boarding and roughing after slamming Vincent Trocheck into the boards from behind and picked up another five penalty minutes for the fight that followed.
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Kunin, a versatile forward acquired Friday from the San Jose Sharks , skated a 14:13 on the third line and spent 1:29 of it killing penalties. All in all, it was a solid debut performance.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets set records, reclaim playoff spot: 6 takeaways
