Columbus, Ohio - After the dust settled and the last reverberation of the cannon blast had stopped echoing throughout Nationwide Arena, a feeling of renewed conviction washed over the Blue Jackets-clad fans among the 18,164 that witnessed resiliency on display.
Their team had just ended a losing streak to the Chicago Blackhawks in Nationwide Arena dating back to March 25, 2010. It took until the ninth round of the shootout, but they emerged victorious with a 3-2 shootout victory.
The day started off with the news of second-year center Boone Jenner being placed on Injured Reserve with a stress fracture in his back. They had just lost a major piston that helps to drive this team for 1-2 months. Coming on top of all the other injuries, it could very well have been a reason to hang their heads. And yet, they chose to fight back.
"It starts with the veteran players, and the leaders," head coach Todd Richards said. "And our goaltender made some big saves. A lot of the chances and opportunities (Chicago) got were self-inflicted stuff. Specialty teams and big penalty kills in the third led to finding a way to win it in the shootout."
The game started with the Blackhawks taking control from the drop of the puck. Their pressure was forcing Columbus to turn the puck over in their own zone. But they hung tough, even though the Blackhawks ended up putting 15 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Blue Jackets drew first blood on a heavy shot from Fedor Tyutin that was redirected twice before finding the back of the net. The last player to touch the puck was former Chicago first round draft pick (seventh overall, 2005) Jack Skille after it had been tipped by Ryan Johansen.
With just 3 shots on goal to the Blackhawks 15, Columbus went into the first intermission holding a 1-0 lead. They never trailed throughout the remainder of the night.
With the start of the second stanza, a synergy began to take hold of the team resulting in a building confidence among the players. After months of bounces going the other way, the Blue Jackets found themselves the recipients of some 'puck luck' of their own.
On three separate occasions, Chicago's Brendan Saad muffed glorious scoring opportunities from right around the goal.
Through determination and outstanding goaltending from Bobrovsky, they stayed in the game and found a way to win. They rallied around their goalie as he made save after save.
"They were outstanding," said Bobrovsky of his teammates. "They blocked shots. They sacrificed and helped a lot. It doesn't seem like that with 40 shots (by Chicago), but they did a huge job."
They were credited with 33 hits on the Blackhawks, 14 of which came in the first period. Chicago would tie the game in the second and it was 1-1 going into the third.
Kevin Connauton, having scored only once in his NHL career before being claimed off waivers from the Dallas Stars last month, came up with a big goal early in the third as a Blue Jackets power play was expiring. Once Again, Chicago would even the score.
A penalty late in the period by former Blackhawk Jeremy Morin would test the mettle of the team as they tried to find a way to beat Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford in his first game back from injury. They killed off the penalty but couldn't solve Crawford. The upside to this was earning a much-needed point.
As they began their sixth consecutive overtime game, there was evenness to the play on the ice, with neither team making any headway. The shootout loomed and the offer of the second available point.
The Blue Jackets went first, with neither team finding a way past the goalies. To start the fifth round, Morin atoned for the hooking penalty he took in the third period and wristed it past Crawford. His former line-mate on the Blackhawks, Andrew Shaw, replicated the result and kept Chicago alive.
Finally, in the ninth round, Jack Johnson got his mojo working and put the Blue Jackets ahead. Bryan Bickell of the Blackhawks couldn't answer in kind and Columbus extended their point streak to nine consecutive games. This has become, indeed, a December to remember.
"It's been a good week," said Johnson, "keeping the point streak alive and chipping away at the standings. We're getting points in every game and that's the most important thing."
The Blue Jackets sit seven points back from the third place Washington Capitals in the Metro and just five points back from a wild card spot. With two games left in the month, they won't be in a playoff position as the new year dawns on January 1, but they are working themselves back into the conversation.
They have one more game before the Christmas break on Monday with the Nashville Predators only visit to Columbus. They've earned 17 of 18 possible points since December 1, with 4 more points in the offing.
In this season of giving, they are giving fans a reason to believe. And it's all because they still believe that anything is possible.
