Don't look now, but the Blue Jackets aren't out of it.
Somehow, some way. A couple of weeks ago, they were left for dead. Five straight losses, a vote of confidence from GM Jarmo Kekalainen in support of John Tortorella. Benchings, injuries, you name it. If it could happen, it's happened in Columbus this year.
But give these Blue Jackets some credit. They needed a strong start in this four-game set against the Carolina Hurricanes and they got it, winning 3-2 in overtime at PNC Arena on Thursday night.
Here are tonight's three things.
HOLY KORPI
Joonas Korpisalo has had good outings, and he's had some shaky ones.
The inconsistency has been one of the more consistent things about his season, in which he's received the bulk of the workload but hasn't played like a true No. 1 goaltender. Entering tonight's game, out of 50 NHL goalies who have played 10 or more games in 2020-21, Korpisalo's save percentage of .899 ranked 36th.
But tonight, he put his stamp on an important result for the Blue Jackets.
The paddle save on Warren Foegele? Masterful, even if he said it was a bit lucky (we'll give him that). The OT saves on Andrei Svechnikov, Jaccob Slavin, and Sebastian Aho? Scintillating.
KORPI UNPHASED! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/O0SFirSyog
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 19, 2021
This version of Korpisalo is the type that makes you think the Blue Jackets could, potentially, pull this off.
SETH JONES ENTERS THE CHAT
The guy hadn't scored a goal since Feb. 19, nearly one full month ago.
He's been more active in recent games, yes, but breaking out of a long funk goes a long way toward rebuilding confidence. For Seth Jones, who is among the players Columbus needs to score more goals, it was a priority. He scored twice tonight, including his eighth career OT winner–most of any player in Blue Jackets history. His nine career OT goals since 2013-14 are tied with San Jose's Brent Burns for most in the NHL.
This one was a gorgeous, precision shot over the glove hand of Alex Nedelkjovic.
SETH ORDERS A DOUBLE IN OT. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/kW9ONCjVNi
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 19, 2021
"I was up in the play quite a bit, just trying to be aggressive," Jones said. "We tried to make some plays off the rush. We wanted to play with a presence, play with a purpose. It wasn't a perfect hockey game for us, but at the end of the day, we got two points."
NOT DONE YET
It boggles the mind that the Blue Jackets are still alive in the playoff race. Their chances are slim, but with each win like this one, they're improving. Columbus is just two points behind the Chicago Blackhawks with plenty of road left to be covered, but this week's four-game series against the Hurricanes (and the results of Chicago's series against Tampa Bay) will paint a clearer picture of where things stand.
If you thought the Blue Jackets were going to wilt into the distance, well, they have other plans for the time being.
