Winning Thoughts: Blue Jackets' resiliency leads to a crazy win vs. Vancouver

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

BLUE JACKETS 7, CANUCKS 6, SHOOTOUT

1. The Blue Jackets again started slow but showed resiliency to erase a three-goal deficit to defeat the Canucks.

Three days after overcoming a 2-0 first-period deficit against the New York Islanders, the Blue Jackets managed to top that performance as they turned a 3-0 Canucks lead after 20 minutes into a 7-6 shootout win.

The Blue Jackets only had one win when trailing at the start of the second period before Monday’s game on Long Island, but now they have found the formula for comebacks.

The first-period deficit was not the only one they needed to overcome to pull out the win, as after tying the score at 3 in the second, they were trailing 5-3 with just under 13 minutes remaining.

“It’s not the way you want to start a game, going down like that,” said Dante Fabbro, who tied the game with his second-period goal. “Coming in after the first, honestly, we said, ‘We are coming back.’ There was no way we were losing this game.”

The importance of this game was not lost on the team, which led the momentum swings to mean even more.

“I almost had a heart attack a couple of times,” Fabbro said jokingly.

If there is one word to sum up the Blue Jackets’ 2024-25 season, it would be resilience. With all the on- and off-ice tribulations, the team has still found a way to keep positive and win hockey games.

“It has been the theme all year, resilience,” Mathieu Olivier said. “Ever since August, I am very proud of our group, and the way we handled tonight after the first period.”

2. The Blue Jackets’ 5-on-5 success proved to be the difference, but the power-play equalized the score late.

One of the top-scoring teams all season at 5-on-5, the Blue Jackets outscored the Canucks by a 5-3 margin at even strength. However, special teams kept Vancouver in this game.

The special teams’ struggles have been more evident recently as the power play has had a hard time getting on track. Since Jan. 14, Columbus has just five goals on the man-advantage while conceding five shorthanded goals.

The Blue Jackets gave up a shorthanded goal on a four-minute power play in the second, but they did make the most of their chance at redemption. As the Blue Jackets went on the power play with 3:20 left in the third, they needed one to tie it and it was the captain, Boone Jenner, that came up clutch for Columbus.

“It was get a goal,” Jenner said of the message going into the opportunity. “We did not like our power play in the second period. Those are the key moments that we want to step up as a unit. We did not panic.”

3. As the Blue Jackets pulled off the victory, they moved into a tie for the final wild card spot.

It was another night where the Blue Jackets got some help from the teams around them. Montreal lost in regulation while the New York Rangers lost in overtime, leaving all three teams tied for the second wild card spot with 75 points. The Blue Jackets have one game in hand on the Canadiens and two on the Rangers.

With Columbus playing the least number of games as any team in the Eastern Conference race, they are the team that is in the driver seat.

Some players on the team check the box scores from around the league, but for Olivier, the media shared the Canadiens’ result with him after the game.

“They lost? Perfect,” Olivier said. “That helps our cause. We control our own destiny.”

Now, they turn their focus to the next game Saturday in Ottawa, as they have done all season. The Blue Jackets have kept a focus on the mentality of one game at a time, which has helped them stay in the playoff race.

“Obviously, we have another massive test tomorrow,” Fabbro said. “Our focus now is on that Ottawa game and getting the job done there.”

“That’s one of those games you want to sit on for a couple of days, but the challenge for this group is to reset really quick because of a big one tomorrow,” Olivier said. “It’s that time of year. It’s really exciting.”