The three-game sweep starts in Vancouver, where the Columbus Blue Jackets might be forgiven for thinking what might have been this season as they scored six unanswered goals in the second and third periods to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat the Canucks, 6-2.
Rookie Marko Dano scored twice in the rally.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 38 saves in Jackets win – file photo Brent Clark
“It’s a big opportunity for me to earn a spot next year,” Dano said. “My time in the [American Hockey League] helped a lot, but now I am trying to play here and trying to get a spot here for next year.”
The goals were his 5th and 6th on the year.
“His linemates are helping but he is also doing things on this own,” Columbus coach Todd Richards said of Dano. “He’s physical in the corners, physical in the battles, he creates a little separation, and you see some different things. He can score goals. He makes a great pass to Hartnell on his goal. There’s a lot of skill and ability in him.”
Sergei Bobrovsky, made 38 saves for the win showed great form in the first period when he faced 20 shots.
“I think for whatever reason, we sat back,” Canucks coach Willie Desjardins said. “That was a big game for us not to have our best game.”
After gaining the 2-0 lead, the Canucks let up and Jackets took advantage of the opportunity.
“We come out and we say all the right things in here, but then we come out and we … I thought we started cheating,” Canucks captain Henrik Sedin said. “We’re down 3-2. We don’t need to score right away. We can keep playing the right way and get pucks deep. They looked tired for the most part of the game, and still we gave away the game.”
Jamie Benn broke drought with game-winner over Pens – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
In Dallas, Stars’ captain Jamie Benn broke a personal 11-game scoring drought with a goal in the second period to give his team a 2-0 lead. The Stars went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 to extend the Pens’ losing skid to four.
“We played a fast game,” Benn said. “We had all four lines going. I think the key was limiting your turnovers against them because they are so dangerous, and we really wanted to work their [defense]. I thought we did a good job of that for 60 minutes.”
Kris Letang scored midway through the second period to cut the deficit to one.
“I really liked our game 10 days ago. Now our game has slipped away a little bit as far as trying to get a little more offense into our game,” Penguins coach Mike Johnston said. “We’ve got to start to score. I thought we competed harder for half the game but it’s got to be the full game.”
Kari Lehtonen made 31 saves for the Stars’ win.
“When you get an early lead like that it’s huge for us,” Stars defenseman Jason Demers said. “Usually in the past we’ve given up some stuff in the third period, but [Kari Lehtonen] really held the door shut.”
Marc-Andre Fleury had 24 saves in the loss.
“We have two big scorers [Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist] out of the lineup. That doesn’t help. We have to get some secondary scoring from other lines,” Letang said. “It can’t be the same guys all the time. I think it’s all a question of momentum. We didn’t build momentum right at the start and we kind of put ourselves behind the eight ball.”
In Ottawa, the Senators stormed past the Boston Bruins with a 6-4 win and moved ever closer to a wild card spot.
Andrew Hammond was “torched” for four goals in the win, something he had not done in his previous 11 starts.
“I expected to let in four goals at some point in my NHL career, or five or six,” Hammond said. “Every night you just try to find a way to give your team a chance.
“Luckily we were able to score some goals. It was just one of those games where there was some strange goals, pucks bouncing everywhere and finding a way in.
“You’re going to have those nights, and all you can do when its 4-4 after the second is just try to make that next save to give your team a chance. Luckily I was able to do that.”
Bobby Ryan picked up the game-winner midway through the third period.
“Tonight was just pure dumb luck, more so than anything if you watched the way that one unfolded,” Ryan said. “I knew that I had opportunities throughout the game that I would like back again. I said something has got to give at some point, with the amount of pucks I was throwing at the net. It was there. It just finally turned into a lucky one that got it done.”
Kyle Turris (two goals), Milan Michalek, David Legwand and Jean-Gabriel Pageau also had goals for the Sens.
Tuukka Rask made 26 saves for Boston in the loss.
“Disappointed is probably the right word,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. “When you get to those big games, you expect a lot more out of a lot of guys. We didn’t get that tonight. When you look at the game, the feeling is they seemed to want it more than we did. That’s the other part. That’s disappointing.
“You know, at one point you have to look at yourself in the mirror and let’s stop pretending here and start showing whether we want or not to be in a playoff spot. We need a lot more from a lot of guys. That was a big game for us and unfortunately, we didn’t get that.”
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