Remarkably, Columbus finds itself with 49 points. Two better than Detroit, who fell in bizarre fashion at Calgary 3-2 to put sports longest active playoff streak in jeopardy. Two Red Wing miscues allowed the Flames to aid the Jackets in their chase. In franchise history, they’ve made the playoffs only once doing so in ’08-09 with former captain Rick Nash. In a twist, while Nash’s new team clings to eighth with 46 points, Columbus might pull off the unthinkable. In a shortened year where the Islanders are poised for the postseason, anything’s possible.

The Blue Jackets twice rallied from a goal deficit to force OT. Ex-Islander Blake Comeau tied the contest 1-1 entering the third. It was his second straight game with a goal after being a healthy scratch. James Wisniewski set it up. Anaheim retook the lead on one of the oddest goals you’ll ever see. A Kyle Palmieri shot banked off David Steckel and went 10 feet in the air and fell behind Sergei Bobrovsky into the net. A goal like that could’ve been deflating. But not these pesky Jackets, who won their last game thanks to R.J. Umberger tying it and Nick Foligno beating J.S. Giguere in overtime at Colorado.

This time, a familiar face helped set up the tying marker. Brandon Dubinsky’s spent much of the season banged up, missing time. Since his return from another injury, the Blue Jackets have won four in a row. Still struggling mightily to find the back of the net with just one goal in 25 games, Dubinsky still finds other ways to contribute. His wraparound attempt was denied by Viktor Fasth but the rebound caromed out to Matt Calvert, who deposited his ninth to tie it 2-2 with 11:18 left in regulation. Rookie defenseman Dalton Prout picked up the secondary assist. 

Down the stretch, the Jackets are playing two first-year blueliners including Tim Erixon. Coach Todd Richards has leaned heavily on Jack Johnson and Tyutin to carry the load. Wisniewski is the other reliable vet while Richards mixes in Nikita Nikitin along with Prout and Erixon. Johnson and Tyutin saw every second shift with the game tied. Johnson got himself into trouble when a failed pinch forced him to take down Palmieri. Columbus faced a similar situation at Colorado, who scored before Umberger rallied them back. A desperate Jackets aggressively killed the penalty, which ended prematurely thanks to some diligent work from Dubinsky. The Ducks were called for a bench minor with 2:08 remaining. 

The Jackets applied some pressure in the final minute but couldn’t beat Fasth, taking it to extras. Before Tyutin’s OT heroics, they can thank Wisniewski and Johnson for hanging through a long shift where they iced the puck. Despite no breather, they didn’t allow the Ducks to win it. Tyutin got the puck to Marian Gaborik, who entered the zone and eventually passed for Foligno. Initially, he had nothing. Instead of giving up on the play, he restarted and shot from the left circle. A cutting Tyutin redirected Foligno’s shot past Fasth short side for the winner at 2:19. 

Columbus now sits along in eighth but still trail Detroit in ROW (regulation overtime wins) 18-16. The Wings have an extra game left. Detroit has five remaining while the Jackets have four. Tenth Dallas has 45 points but six to go, keeping them in the race. The Coyotes have 43 also with six left. Here’s the Western race:

                        

                          GP        Pts       ROW

z-1.Blackhawks 42         70         27

x-2.Ducks          43         60         21

*3.Canucks        43         55         20

4.Kings             43         53         22

5.Sharks            43         53         15

6.Wild               43         51         20

7.Blues              42         50         20

8.Blue Jackets   44         49         16

9.Red Wings      43         47         18

10.Stars             42         45         19

11.Coyotes        42         43         15

z-clinched conference

x-playoff berth

*division leader