Winning Thoughts: Blue Jackets recapture some swagger in win over Senators

After CBJ wins, we'll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we'll remember from the Blue Jackets victory.

BLUE JACKETS 5, SENATORS 2

1. The third game in 11 days between the Senators and Blue Jackets resulted in a “chippy” contest.

As this game got underway, it was evident from the jump that there was some energy boiling over from the previous two meetings between these two teams in Ottawa.

Sixteen penalty minutes and numerous scrums after the whistle made it clear this game was a playoff-like game, and the Blue Jackets said they used that energy to their advantage.

“It was a bit of a chippy game,” head coach Dean Evason said. “I think that got us engaged. We talked after the game to the team that we need to do that on a consistent basis.”

Mathieu Olivier led the Blue Jackets in hits with four. He also was the team leader in the previous two meetings, as he has now totaled 15 in three games against the Senators. He noted the emotions behind the game afterwards.

“Playoff-type, a lot of emotion. I thought our group did really well handling it,” said Olivier, who was a fight shy of a Gordie Howe hat trick. “(The penalty) kill did a good job today, and obviously the power play came up big. A lot of edge in this game, and thought we responded really well.”

After the two previous losses to the Senators, the Blue Jackets were focused on preventing a season sweep against a team they have spent much of the season jostling with for a wild card spot. Although Ottawa ran away with the pack, clinching a postseason berth despite the loss, it was a focus of Columbus to keep those previous setbacks in the past.

“We went into their building, lost twice and got shut out once,” said Adam Fantilli, who scored on a breakaway to make it 5-1 and solidify the win. “That's never a good feeling. You don't want to get beat by a team three times in a season.”

2. Columbus scored first and won for the 26th time this season doing so.

At one point in this season, the Blue Jackets were the premier team in the NHL to draw the opening goal in a game. After their win against San Jose on Jan. 17, they had scored first a league-leading 28 times and were 18-6-4 while doing so.

Since then, they have managed to open the scoring only 11 times in 31 games and have gone 5-13-2 in the games in which they have conceded first.

Ottawa entered this game 33-6-0 when scoring first, so you can see how important it was that Dmitri Voronkov opened the scoring when he converted Olivier’s pass exactly seven minutes into the game.

“Lately it's been a little harder coming by some goals, and especially the first one in the game,” Olivier said. “It's good to start off the right way and obviously set the tone for the rest of the game there.”

Taking a 1-0 lead has been an emphasis all season for the Blue Jackets, and they look to get back to coming into games with a jump as they believe that is when they are their best versions of themselves.

“Scoring first is huge, and it helps you get momentum,” Fantilli said. “The guys came out hot, and it was great. (Ottawa) was taking exception with some of our players, and I thought it was really helpful for us to play with a little bit more with an edge there and made us feel more together.”

3. The Blue Jackets enter the final stretch desperate for points, and they got two on this night.

A weekend sweep north of the border put a significant dent in the Blue Jackets’ playoff hopes, but they returned home determined to prove they wouldn’t just roll over with six games to go.

“I think we're a desperate team right now, and I think it showed early on,” Justin Danforth said.

The team had their legs from the jump, as their 2-0 lead going into the first intermission resulted in the win. The first period can be credited to the motivation they have with their backs against the wall.

“We can't lose,” Olivier said. “Just got to play like you can't lose, pretty much, until there's an (eliminated) or an X next to our name.”

Now sitting eight points back of the Montreal Canadiens – who won tonight vs. Detroit – with five games remaining in the regular season, the Blue Jackets still have a steep mountain to climb. As Olivier said, though, it is not over until it is over.

“We see the standings,” Fantilli added. “We still have to give ourselves the best chance to get in. We put ourselves in a tough position, but our goal is to win out with the rest of the season, obviously, and try and put ourselves in the best position possible to maybe have a chance to get into the playoffs.”

Going into Thursday’s game vs. Buffalo at Nationwide Arena, Columbus will try to do the same.

“We have to play like that the rest of the way,” Evason said. “We have a chance. We're not mathematically eliminated, so we're going to play freaking hard every night."