For the fourth time in franchise history, the Columbus Blue Jackets are heading to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Courtesy of the one point they earned in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena in Columbus Thursday night, the Blue Jackets earned the playoff berth and made franchise history by getting to the postseason in consecutive years for the first time ever.
PHOTOS: Columbus Blue Jackets clinch berth in Stanley Cup Playoffs
Defenseman Zach Werenski initiated the scoring when he flipped in a backhander with 5:11 to play in the first period.
Center Pierre-Luc Dubois controlled the puck on the dot of the right faceoff circle and fed a short pass to Werenski, who was cutting through the slot beyond the reach of a Penguins player. Werenski controlled the puck on the right side of his body, threw a backhanded shot toward the net and got it behind goaltender Matt Murray for the 1-0 lead.
Zach Werenski gets the cannon going! 💣 pic.twitter.com/CM3GiXPxeO
Although the Penguins tied the game on a power-play goal from forward Phil Kessel at the 10:26 mark of the first period, the Blue Jackets went back in front with a score of their own on the man advantage just over two minutes later.
Defenseman Jack Johnson got the scoring play started when he batted away the puck from a Penguins forward and off the near boards, where left winger Matt Calvert controlled it at center ice and skated into Pittsburgh’s defensive zone.
Calvert stick-dragged the puck around defenseman Olli Maatta and out of the reach of right winger Bryan Rust before backhanding a shot past Murray on the stick side and into the back of the net for Columbus’ second tally of the night.
The Penguins evened the score at 2-2 when right winger Patric Hornqvist slipped a shot into the net at the 15:35 mark of the first period, and the teams remained tied after the first 20 minutes of play.
The Blue Jackets scored the lone goal of the second period when center Boone Jenner tallied on the power play at the 6:35 mark.
Left winger Thomas Vanek got the puck into the attacking zone and fed a pass over to fellow winger Sonny Milano along the boards on the right side of the ice. After controlling the pass, Milano found Jenner in the slot and the veteran forward rifled the shot into the back of the net.
Around this time, every goal requires a big celly. You think Boone Jenner is a little 🔥d up? pic.twitter.com/w7CbQeIXmV
The Blue Jackets went back in front of the Penguins, 4-3, when right winger Cam Atkinson matched a career-high nine-game point streak with an unassisted goal at the 8:25 mark of the third period.
Dubois wristed a shot on net that Murray turned away, but Atkinson was on the doorstep and corralled the rebound in the crease. Before Murray had a chance to reset himself, Atkinson flipped the puck into the back of the net for his 24th goal of the season.
