Williams: Blue Jackets making strides

Last spring, the Columbus Blue Jackets missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs because of a tiebreaker. The Blue Jackets (24-17-7, 55 points) and Minnesota Wild (26-19-3, 55 points) tied for eighth place in the National Hockey League’s Western Conference.

But with two more wins, the Wild advanced to the postseason, where they were eliminated in five games by the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks.

It’s not easy being a Blue Jackets fan. Since their debut in the 2000-01 season, the Jackets have qualified for the playoffs once. In 2009, Columbus swept by the Detroit Red Wings in a first-round series. (Later that spring, the Red Wings lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final).

But things are looking up for hockey fans in Ohio’s capital. Thanks to the return of forward Nathan Horton and goaltender Sergei Bobvrosky from injuries, the Blue Jackets (22-20-4, 48 points) are playing much better of late and could break their four-season playoff drought if the surge continues.

Tonight, they carry a four-game winning streak into Nationwide Arena against the Washington Capitals (22-17-8, 52 points).

The big change for Columbus this season was switching conferences. Last summer, the NHL realigned, sending the Winnipeg Jets to a 14-team Western Conference and the Blue Jackets and Red Wings to a 16-team Eastern Conference.

The move is terrific for the Jackets, eliminating many late-night road games on the West Coast. The many visits of the Wild, Colorado Avalanche, Phoenix Coyotes and Nashville Predators have been replaced with Metropolitan Division rivals Pittsburgh, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers.

Horton, who helped the Boston Bruins sweep the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final last June, was signed to a seven-year, $37 million contract. Recovering from shoulder surgery, Horton missed almost three months, but he’s back and playing well.

In Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning (one of the Eastern Conference’s top three squads), Horton scored his 200th career goal in the third period as the Jackets rallied from a 2-1 deficit. Former Penguin Mark Lestu scored the game-winner, deflecting a Jack Johnson shot into the Lightning net.

“When we needed the goals, our power-play [unit] was able to step up,” Jackets head coach Todd Richards said. “It was a good character win.”

The Jackets’ style stresses defense and differs from the potent offensive style shown by the Penguins. Columbus is more likely to win a game 2-1 whereas Pittsburgh scoring four or more goals has become expected.

Bobvrosky, who won the Vezina Trophy last year as the NHL’s top goalie, needs to excel for the Jackets to win. As for the Penguins, when they are on, Sidney Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin do a lot to cover up for off nights by Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

“I thought we played a great first period,” Richards said. “We got our game back [in the third period]. To me that’s a sign of character that you’re looking for — we got the result that we deserved.”

So do their fans for keeping the faith.

Tom Williams is a sportswriter at The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com and follow him on twitter at @Williams_Vindy.