Streaking Blue Jackets get set for slumping Kraken
At this point in the season, each NHL game can have a profound effect on the standings.
Saturday's matchup between the Seattle Kraken and host Columbus Blue Jackets is a prime example.
The Kraken are one point out of the Western Conference's second and final wild-card spot. The Blue Jackets are tied for third place in the Metropolitan Division and trail both Eastern Conference wild-card teams by a point.
The Blue Jackets (36-21-11, 83 points) have won three games in a row and sport an 11-game point streak (7-0-4).
They are coming off a 6-3 victory against the visiting New York Rangers on Thursday. Adam Fantilli tallied twice, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist and defenseman Zach Werenski added three helpers.
"These are hard games to play," Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness said. "(The Rangers) are out of the playoffs, and they have a lot of speed and they've got a lot of skill. And they're just playing loose hockey. Those are very tough games to play.
"So, no, that wasn't our best. But when you can say that and say you still won the game, that's pretty good."
Fantilli's 20th goal, a power-play strike in the second period, gave the Blue Jackets a 4-2 lead and he iced the victory with an empty-netter.
"Not every game is going to be perfect," Fantilli said. "(Bowness) said, ‘Not every game's going to be Picasso.' To be able to find wins like that is huge."
Werenski said despite the recent streak, the Blue Jackets know they haven't clinched anything yet.
"We're definitely not going to get overconfident," Werenski said. "We're a long way from where we want to be. That's with an ‘X' next to our name (in the standings). ... We do have a great team in here and we are aware of that."
This will be the second stop for the Kraken (31-28-9, 71 points) on a six-game road trip that opened with a 3-1 loss Thursday to the Nashville Predators.
"Can't feel sorry for ourselves, or it's going to be done before we know it," Kraken center Chandler Stephenson said. "It's playoff mode right now, especially for teams that are trying to get in."
Four of the five teams remaining on the Kraken's trip are battling for playoff positioning -- the Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers. The lone outlier is the injury-ravaged Florida Panthers, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion.
Not ideal for a Seattle team that has gone 4-8-0 since the Olympic break and was outscored 9-3 over two consecutive losses.
"There's not a guy that's happy with how things are going, result-wise. But we've gotta stick together," said forward Frederick Gaudreau, who scored Seattle's lone goal Thursday. "We've gotta focus on the right stuff."
Kraken coach Lane Lambert found some positives in the loss.
"I thought it was one of our better games we've played this month, to be honest with you," Lambert said. "Our structure was good. ... I thought our guys battled. I'm not unhappy with the effort at all. I think we had enough chances to win the hockey game, and we missed the net on some of those. We've got to find a way to put it in the back of the net."