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Zach Weresnki is willing Blue Jackets to the playoffs with another epic performance
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- Zach Weresnki is willing Blue Jackets to the playoffs with another epic performance
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The Columbus Blue Jackets have not made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season. This year, the Blue Jackets are making a push to return to the playoffs . On Tuesday night, they made another step towards the playoffs with a victory over the Philadelphia Flyers .
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While the team struggled early in the game, Zach Werenski continued his stellar season with an epic performance, willing his team to a win , according to Jeff Svoboda of BlueJackets.com.
The Blue Jackets were outshot 10-3 in the first period, in what head coach Rick Bowness called "probably one of the worst" since he took over as the head coach. They would manage to be down just 1-0 heading into the second, though.
On his first shift of the second period, Werenski took the puck from the middle of the ice, creating a three-on-two situation. He would move the puck over to Mathieu Olivier after making the defense commit to a side of the ice. Olivier put the puck past Dan Vladar to tie the game. Less than two minutes later, Mason Marchment sent a pass to Damon Severson , who then found Weresnki, who lit the lamp to take the lead. They would never give the lead back as the Jackets won 3-2.
"That he's able to do that when things aren't going good," Bowness said. "'OK, take control,' and he did. The whole team struggled in that first period; let's not kid ourselves. So when that happens, you need your better players to take over and set the tone."
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It was the 25th time this year that Werenski has had multiple points in a game, which tied a franchise record. Further, his 77 points on the season are the fifth most in a season in franchise history.
"We know how special a player he is," netminder Jet Greaves said. "The whole league, the whole world knows it now. It's super fun to watch every night. You kind of get used to it a little bit and almost take it for granted sometimes, but at the same time, he does things like that, and he just reminds us of how special a player he is."
With the win, the Blue Jackets moved to 38-22-11 on the season and into second place in the Metropolitan Division. They are still just two points ahead of the playoff bar. They will face a fellow playoff contender, the Montreal Canadiens , on Thursday night.
Related: Blue Jackets' dream seeding, matchup scenarios for 2026 NHL Playoffs
