Jackets Roll Over Playoff Teams

Blue Jackets 4, Panthers 1

            In the teams’ first and only meeting of the season, Columbus emerged with a convincing victory against a playoff-bound squad.

            Despite taking three penalties in the first period, the Blue Jackets grabbed the night’s first goal when R. J. Umberger scored his 16^th of the season.

            Allen York, in the cage for the second-consecutive game, made 15 of his 30 saves in the opening frame.

            The pace shifted as the game wore on with the Panthers taking ten penalty minutes in the second period compared to the Columbus’ two.

            On five power play chances, the Blue Jackets converted once at 11:48 of the period to take the 2-0 lead. Nikita Nikitin was credited with the goal.

            In the third period, Columbus received two more goals from Nikitin and Umberger (empty-netter) respectively.

            The Panthers lone goal came at 7:57 of the third.

Blue Jackets 5, Blues 2

           

            Columbus was outhit, St. Louis was outscored, and at night’s end the apocalypse came.

            The entire game was uncharacteristic of both team’s styles but in the end the Blue Jackets registered a huge win against their Central Division rival.

            Compared to the second and third periods, the first 20 minutes were relatively calm. Three goals were scored, but the penalty boxes remained fairly empty.

            At 6:16 of the first period, Jared Boll scored his second goal of the season to give Columbus an early advantage, but seconds later, David Backes evened the score for the Blues.

            Around the midway mark of the opening frame, R. J. Umberger tallied on an unassisted wrist shot to make it 2-1 at the first intermission.           

            In the second period, Umberger scored again to record his second-consecutive two-goal game.

With just under five minutes remaining in the period, a hit behind the St. Louis’ net sparked a slew of penalties. Jared Boll was issued a charging minor as well as a fighting major. The Blues’ Scotty Nichol picked up a two-minute instigator, a fighting major, and a 10-minute misconduct.

David Perron scored shortly after the tilt to make it 3-2 heading into the third period.

In the final frame, the rivals continued to clash and the whistles continued to sound but among the face washes and jersey tugs, the Blue Jackets scored twice more to escape the Scottrade Center with a victory.

Allen York made 34 saves in the contest.