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Columbus edges closer to playoffs
Source: Agencies |
February 10, 2011, Thursday
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THE Columbus Blue Jackets won their third straight game and moved into playoff contention with a 4-1 win over the injury-plagued Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Rick Nash netted his team-leading 24th goal of the season and added an assist while Steve Mason made 32 saves to contain the Penguins, who were playing without injured forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The win allowed Columbus to avenge a 2-7 December loss to the Penguins, which Blue Jackets center R.J. Umberger said offered extra motivation in the latest contest.
"I was frustrated after that. That was embarrassing, especially for myself, people watching it back home, and to see our team represented that way," Umberger told reporters.
"Tonight, it was in the back of our minds but, more than anything, the two points were first in our mind."
Samuel Pahlsson, Jakub Voracek and Antoine Vermette also scored for Columbus while Tyler Kennedy scored the lone goal for the Penguins, who lost on home ice for the first time in six games.
With the win, the Blue Jackets (26-22-5) moved to within four points of the Calgary Flames for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL's Western Conference.
"We're in the race now and we're trying to climb in the standings," Pahlsson said. "We need every point we can get."
Pittsburgh (34-17-4) has lost two straight games and trails the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers by three points.
The Penguins lost Chris Kunitz, the team's fourth-leading scorer, due to a lower-body injury.
In NHL action elsewhere, it was: Sharks 2, Capitals 0; Sabres 7, Lightning 4; Devils 3, Hurricanes 2, OT; Maple Leafs 5, Islanders 3; and Blues 2, Panthers 1.
Rick Nash netted his team-leading 24th goal of the season and added an assist while Steve Mason made 32 saves to contain the Penguins, who were playing without injured forwards Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The win allowed Columbus to avenge a 2-7 December loss to the Penguins, which Blue Jackets center R.J. Umberger said offered extra motivation in the latest contest.
"I was frustrated after that. That was embarrassing, especially for myself, people watching it back home, and to see our team represented that way," Umberger told reporters.
"Tonight, it was in the back of our minds but, more than anything, the two points were first in our mind."
Samuel Pahlsson, Jakub Voracek and Antoine Vermette also scored for Columbus while Tyler Kennedy scored the lone goal for the Penguins, who lost on home ice for the first time in six games.
With the win, the Blue Jackets (26-22-5) moved to within four points of the Calgary Flames for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NHL's Western Conference.
"We're in the race now and we're trying to climb in the standings," Pahlsson said. "We need every point we can get."
Pittsburgh (34-17-4) has lost two straight games and trails the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers by three points.
The Penguins lost Chris Kunitz, the team's fourth-leading scorer, due to a lower-body injury.
In NHL action elsewhere, it was: Sharks 2, Capitals 0; Sabres 7, Lightning 4; Devils 3, Hurricanes 2, OT; Maple Leafs 5, Islanders 3; and Blues 2, Panthers 1.
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