BLACKHAWKS NIP BLUE JACKETS IN OT

The Chicago Blackhawks solidified their hold on the 4^th place spot in the NHL’s Western Conference with a 1-0 overtime victory over the host Columbus Blue Jackets at the Nationwide Arena on Sunday.  In a game that showcased the tenacious defense and solid goaltending of both squads, Kris Versteeg got the win for the Hawks with his goal just over three minutes in to the overtime session.

Regulation time was essentially sixty minutes of solid defense, with Jackets’ goalie Steve Mason and his Blackhawks counterpart Nikolai Khabibulin mopping up the few shots that made it on net.  Chicago held a 9-6 shots on goal advantage in the first period, while Columbus outshot the visitors 10-7 in the second.  The third period had only 9 shots on goal total as Chicago held a 6-3 edge.  The Blackhawks held a 3-1 shots on goal edge in the overtime before Versteeg’s goal which after the game he ascribed to good luck as much as anything else:

"You can't really see much going in on that goalie. I was going five-hole and I guess I got lucky and it bounced in. Coming down against a guy like Mason I guess all you can do is shoot and pray to God it goes into the net."

Chicago coach Joel Quenneville commended both teams for the exceptionally played game:

"What a hockey game.  Both teams played hard, the pace was incredible. I don't know how many times we had five or six minutes of play without faceoffs or stoppages."

Columbus has lost five of seven, but that doesn’t reveal the fact that they’ve played pretty well.  Only one of the five losses was in regulation and the Jackets are 8-2-4 in their last fourteen games.  They’re currently in sixth place in the NHL West, but are only four points ahead of ninth place St. Louis.  After the game, Jackets’ coach Ken Hitchcock observed that this fight for a postseason berth is just part of the growing process for a young franchise:

"This is what it takes for non-established teams to establish a territory in the league. This is what it takes to get in to the playoffs. There is a hell of a price to pay to get in."

Columbus is the only current NHL franchise to have never qualified for the playoffs, having entered the league in 2000.  They’ve got a good shot of achieving that goal this year, but clearly want to get it done as soon as possible according to Jackets’ Mike Commodore:

“We want to clinch this as soon as possible. I don't like waking up every morning checking the standings."

The Jackets will play a quick rematch against the Blackhawks on Wednesday in the ‘Windy City’.  They’ll head to St. Louis for a game on Friday before returning home to host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.  The Blackhawks will travel to Nashville for a game against the Predators before returning home for the rematch with Columbus on Wednesday.  They’ll then head to Detroit for a game against the Red Wings on Saturday.