With their playoff chances hanging by a thread, the Columbus Blue Jackets came up big in a 4 - 1 win over the St. Louis Blues. The victory was the second in a row for the Jackets over a team in possession of a playoff spot in the West and snapped St. Louis' six-game winning streak. Columbus entered play with just a 7.4% chance of qualifying for the postseason but after Friday's performance the Jackets chances improved to 11%.

Sergei Bobrovsky played a key role again for Columbus with 31 saves after successfully shaking off a flukey first-period goal by Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk wristed a soft shot from the right point 1:26 into the first that Bob never picked up because of the traffic in front. The puck sneaked in just inside the far post.

St. Louis, playing their second game in two nights, set a club record by extending their shutout streak to over 200 minutes in the first period. Brian Elliot, who got the night off, had posted three straight road shutouts for the Blues but Columbus found a way to beat backup goalie Jake Allen four times Friday night.

The Blues were the better team for long stretches of the game and allowed Columbus just 19 shots on goal but the Jackets took advantage of their limited opportunities. Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist for the Jackets. Artem Anisimov tallied the game-winner in the second period with Ryan Johansen and Marian Gaborik scoring as well.

Here are some other highlights from the game.

Key Moment #1:

Down a goal in the first period and with the Blues controlling play the Jackets finally got some offensive zone time thanks to solid forechecking by the Mark Letestu-Matt Calvert-Cam Atkinson line. Columbus worked the puck back to the point and Adrian Aucoin fired a shot toward the net. It appeared the puck deflected off a St. Louis player before first Calvert and then Atkinson got their stick on it. Allen clearly had trouble with the multiple deflections and the shot eluded him to tie the game.

The play went to review since Atkinson's stick was high on the deflection. Toronto couldn't find any visual evidence to overturn the call on the ice so the goal stood.

Atkinson's short stature came in useful on this play. The rule states the stick can not be higher than the crossbar of the goal when contacting the puck. Most officials, as a rule of thumb, use a player's shoulder level to determine whether it was a high stick since most players' shoulders are at about that level. Atkinson, all of 5'7", probably comes in below that level. The replay did seem to show the stick higher than his shoulder but because of his height, or rather lack thereof, there wasn't enough to overturn the call on the ice.

Key Moment #2:

On the shift right after the goal the Jackets Dalton Prout took a hooking call giving the Blues their second PP. It was a crucial moment int he contest; a St. Louis goal would have stolen the momentum back from Columbus. A good kill and the Jackets would hold momentum and have a chance to take the lead themselves. Columbus successfully killed off the man-advantage and that PK helped catapult the Jackets to the two points.

Marian Gaborik:

Gaborik scored his third goal since joining Columbus at the deadline. He looks relaxed on the ice and is effectively using his speed to create scoring chances both for himself and his linemates. As someone who has watched a lot of Gaborik over the years it looked to me that the pressure of playing for a New York team with high expectations began to weigh heavily on Gaborik the longer he wasn't producing up to the level he is accustomed to. The move to Columbus appears to revitalize the sniper.

I am still a bit worried about Gabby's shoulder. He injured it badly in the playoffs last year and had offseason surgery on it this past summer. Gaborik is known for having one of the best wrist shots and quickest releases in the league yet is doing more deking and shooting off the back-hand. I wonder if the shoulder is 100% or if it is lacking strength. Regardless, he has six points in five games as a Jacket so as long as he is producing Columbus won't worry too much.

Ryan Johansen:

I've watched the young Jackets center closely this year. After dealing Derick Brassard and John Moore to New York in the Gaborik trade, Johansen is the only player Columbus has selected in the first round that is still on the active roster. His development is critical to the future success of Columbus.

A perfect example for Johansen to model his game after is the guy he lined up against a lot last night; David Backes. Backes has never been close to a point-per-game player but contributes in so many different ways that he is considered along with Patrice Bergeron to be one of the best two-way centers in the game. Backes, like Johansen has great size (6'3", 221) and plays in all situations. If Johansen can develop into someone who contributes in all phases like Backes does, Columbus will be quite pleased.

Last night Johansen scored his 4th goal, second in two games, won six of nine faceoffs and had three shots on goal. He did that while opposing the Backes line most of the night. He has improved nightly ever since coming back from Springfield earlier this year.

Physical Play:

The game wasn't lacking in physical play despite the absence of any scraps. There was plenty of hitting and post-whistle scrums. I was surprised the officials let so much go however; particularly after whistling Jared Boll with an early roughing penalty on a border-line play.

As a fan, player or coach all you want from the refs is consistency in how they call the game. What is called a penalty on one team in the first period should be a penalty on the other team in the second. That didn't seem to be the case last night.

Boll was penalized just 1:48 into the game for following through on a check and getting his hands up high on the hit. I didn't have a problem with the call per se but considering how much rough stuff wasn't whistled during the contest it seemed to be a real ticky-tack call in hind sight. Considering how physically the game was played by both teams I was surprised that the Jackets only had one PP opportunity. In fact St. Louis was called for just two minors on the game, both on the same play to Shattenkirk. It seemed to me that the could have received a couple more during the game.

I also think Brandon Dubinsky wasn't particularly pleased with the officiating as he drew a 10-minute misconduct for "abuse of an official."

It doesn't matter a whole lot at this point since Columbus came away with the decision anyway. It's just one small gripe I had and it stuck with me well into the next day.

No Help:

The Jackets should only worry about what they can control and that's their play on the ice. However, for Columbus to make the playoffs they are going to need the teams ahead of them to start losing. The Jackets didn't get much help last night in that regard.

Detroit, hanging onto the 8th seed, dropped a decision to Chicago but did manage to earn a point in the process by forcing the game to the shootout.

Dallas, tied with Columbus with 43 points but with a game-in-hand, put Nashville on the brink of elimination with a 5 - 2 win on the road. Nashville is now seven points out and have just six games left. They are toast at this point.

Phoenix dropped into a tie with Columbus following their 3 - 2 shootout loss to Calgary.

Columbus turns right around tonight as they head to Minnesota to take on the Wild. This is a big game as much for Minnesota as it is for Columbus. The Wild hold the seventh slot in the West with 46 points and are three points ahead of Columbus. Minnesota needs the points to solidify their hold on a postseason berth. Columbus needs them as they chase a playoff spot.

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