Blue Jackets stay alive with big win over Stars

Dallas, TX –  Cam Atkinson scored two goals, Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves and the Columbus Blue Jackets kept their postseason hopes alive by wrapping up a six-game road trip with Thursday's 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars.

Mark Letestu also tallied for the Blue Jackets, who notched their seventh win in eight games and moved into a tie with idle Minnesota for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Each club has 53 points, but the Wild have two games remaining to Columbus' one.

Detroit sits seventh with 54 points and has one game left on its schedule.

"It feels great," Atkinson said of being in the playoff race. "You can only control what you can control and that's what we're doing."

Kari Lehtonen stopped 32 shots for Dallas, which was eliminated from playoff contention with Detroit's win over Nashville on Thursday.

"To be honest, we knew after the 2nd period," Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said of his team being eliminated from playoff contention. "I think most of our players did, too. However, at the moment, the loss stings."

Letestu broke a 1-1 tie on a power play at the 7:56 mark of the third period. Brandon Dubinsky won a faceoff back to Letestu, playing on the point, and he fired a shot that deflected in off a penalty killer.

Atkinson sealed the win with another power-play marker. He pounced on a loose puck to Lehtonen's right and put it into an open net with 1:40 remaining.

The Blue Jackets jumped out to a 1-0 lead 19 seconds after the game's opening faceoff. Lehtonen turned away bids from Dubinsky and Blake Comeau, but he was unable to deny Atkinson from close range.

Dallas drew even on Jamie Benn's power-play goal at 8:43 of the second period.

Game Notes

The Stars will miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season ... Dallas forward Loui Eriksson played in his 500th career game ... The Blue Jackets and Stars both wrap up their seasons at home on Saturday. Columbus will battle Nashville, while Dallas will face Detroit ... The Blue Jackets concluded the road portion of their schedule with a 10-12-2 record.

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Golden Bear looks back on 55 years, 6 green jackets and 'One time I didn't say much.'

AUGUSTA, Ga. –  Jack Nicklaus loves absolutely everything about this place.

But being reminded how many years have elapsed since he won the first time, let alone the first time he made the drive up Magnolia Lane? Not so much.

Nicklaus sat in the interview room at the Masters for an hour Tuesday, and had more than enough material for two. He grimaced when club member Ed Herlihy introduced him by saying "he returns to Augusta National 50 years removed from his first of a record six jackets," and turned wistful for a moment at the end.

"I can't imagine anybody having more fun doing what I've done and getting paid for it," Nicklaus said, "and also being able to sit here in front of you guys at 73 years old, so I can spout a bunch of stuff that I had no idea whether you were listening or not, or care about."

In between, Nicklaus had that same roomful of reporters eating out of the palm of his hand. He spun so many entertaining tales about the 55 years he's been coming to Augusta that there isn't room to recount them all here.

A quick sampling:

— Nicklaus was revered throughout the years for his willingness to advise young players at every level of ability. Thirty years ago, he responded to a letter from a 13-year-old left-handed player from Canada who wrote to ask whether he should switch and play right-handed. That kid, Mike Weir, went on to win the Masters in 2003.

Earlier this week, he helped the latest long-driving sensation, Nicolas Colsaerts. In a day or two, Nicklaus will do the same for Guan Tianglang, a 14-year-old Chinese player who will become the youngest competitor ever at the Masters and wrote to ask for tips. Asked whether he delivers the same message to everyone who seeks him out, Nicklaus simply smiled.

"I'm not smart enough to have different ones," he said.

— Several questions went back to his final Masters in 1986, perhaps the most famous win here ever. Nicklaus was 46 at the time and hadn't won a major in six years. He recalled slowly playing his way into contention on the back nine, talking with his son, Jackie, to relieve some of the pressure.

"At 16, I hit a 5-iron in there, it was 175 yards, and I just threw a soft 5-iron up in the air. And I remember when I hit the shot, Jackie said, 'Be right, be right.' And I said," Nicklaus paused for effect, "'It is.'

"It was the cockiest remark I ever made."

— Masters co-founder Bobby Jones, whose record of 13 majors Nicklaus would eclipse, took an interest in the young Golden Bear and invited him and his father to his cabin for long discussions on subjects ranging from golf to philosophy. A reporter asked, "Can you give us a flavor of the conversation?"

Nicklaus did, and the reporter asked a follow-up, "Did you say anything, or were you listening?"

Nicklaus didn't have to think long about the answer.

"It's one of the few times," he recalled "I probably didn't say too much."

— Nicklaus could have gone on like that forever. But Herlihy, moderating the conversation, finally noted that Nicklaus had to attend the champions dinner and offered one last question.

"If you hadn't had such extraordinary talent as a golfer, what would you like to have done with your life?"

Nicklaus said he believed he would have wound up "somewhere in sports," then looked out at the roomful of reporters and added, "I may have ended up sitting out here."

"Lucky you could play golf," the questioner offered.

"Well," Nicklaus said finally, "I can't spell, either."

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Wild blank Blue Jackets

Published April 07, 2013

Sports Network

Columbus, OH –  Ryan Suter and Charlie Coyle potted a power- play goal apiece, while Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots to notch his second shutout of the season, as the Minnesota Wild blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-0, on Sunday at Nationwide Arena.

Jason Pominville, acquired from the Buffalo Sabres at Wednesday's trade deadline, recorded a goal and an assist for his first two points as a member of the Wild, who snapped a three-game skid and sit just two points back of the idle Vancouver Canucks for the top spot in the Northwest Divsion.

Sergei Bobrovsky allowed all three goals on 24 shots for Columbus, which has dropped two straight to fall four points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

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Eyeing the postseason, Blue Jackets boost roster on deadline day, add Gaborik, others

Published April 03, 2013

Associated Press

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  In this Feb. 2, 2013, photo, New York Rangers' Marian Gaborik shoots against the Tampa Bay Lightning during an NHL hockey game in Tampa, Fla. The Rangers have traded Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second trade of star players between the teams within the past year. Gaborik was dealt to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, April 3, 2013, just before the NHL's afternoon trade deadline, for center Derick Brassard, right wing Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)The Associated Press

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  In this March 22, 2013, photo, Columbus Blue Jackets' Derick Brassard carries the puck up ice in front of Calgary Flames' Jiri Hudler during an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets traded Brassard, right wing Derek Dorsett and defenseman John Moore to the New York Rangers for forward Marian Gaborik on Wednesday, April 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)The Associated Press

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COLUMBUS, Ohio –  The Blue Jackets have rarely been in a playoff race since they entered the league in 2000.

So, in this season of surprise for Columbus, they surely wanted to take advantage of their position in the Western Conference.

And so they did just that.

Three-time NHL All-Star Marian Gaborik was the marquee player among four deals Wednesday as improved Blue Jackets treated the trade deadline day as an opportunity to gear up for the postseason.

Gaborik and minor league defensemen Steven Delisle and Blake Partlett were acquired from the New York Rangers for center Derick Brassard, right wing Derek Dorsett, defenseman John Moore and a sixth-round pick in the 2014 draft.

Entering play Wednesday night, Columbus was 11th overall in the West, but just one point out of the eighth and final playoff berth. The Blue Jackets have made the postseason just once in their history.

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Blue Jackets stay hot, down Red Wings in SO

Detroit, MI –  Matt Calvert and Ryan Johansen each scored in the shootout, enabling the surging Columbus Blue Jackets to continue their season success against the Detroit Red Wings with a 3-2 decision at Joe Louis Arena.

Derick Brassard and R.J. Umberger had the regulation goals to help Columbus complete a home-and-home weekend sweep of the Red Wings and earn their fifth consecutive victory -- the club's longest winning streak since a five-game run from Nov. 17-24, 2010.

Sergei Bobrovsky, fresh off a 30-save performance in Saturday's 3-0 triumph over the Wings in Columbus, stopped 21 shots through overtime before turning back two of Detroit's three skaters in the deciding phase.

Jakub Kindl and Johan Franzen both potted goals in the loss, the Red Wings' fourth in five meetings with the Blue Jackets this season (1-3-1). Jimmy Howard recorded 19 saves for Detroit, but failed to come up with one in the shootout.

Bobrovsky came up with a big save on Brendan Smith in the final minute of OT to send the contest to the shootout stage, and Johansen beat Howard with a nifty right-to-left move to even things up in the final portion after the Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk began the opening round with a shot that got through Bobrovsky's pads.

Detroit's Damien Brunner was then denied by Bobrovsky, with Calvert putting the Jackets ahead by deking Howard to the left and placing the puck through an open right side.

Henrik Zetterberg had a chance to extend the game for the Red Wings, but Bobrovsky got a piece of the attempt and it caromed wide of the net to give Columbus the victory.

An uneventful first period failed to produce any scoring, but the teams combined for three goals over a 75-second span in the second.

Brassard began the scoring blitz by sending a screamer from the right circle over Howard's glove 3:10 into the frame. Columbus' lead lasted all of 30 seconds, however, after Kindl rifled home a slap shot off a Datsyuk feed to knot the score at 1-1.

The Blue Jackets regained the upper hand just 45 seconds afterward. Zetterberg overplayed the puck in his own end, with Umberger quickly firing the loose disc into the upper right corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Detroit drew even once again just 25 seconds into the third period, taking advantage of a full 5-on-3 power play created by a slashing call on Johansen and Umberger being sent off for delay of game after covering the puck on the resulting faceoff.

The Red Wings worked the puck in front to Franzen, who ripped off a one-timer by Bobrovsky to produce a 2-2 deadlock.

Game Notes

Datsyuk's successful shootout try was the 32nd of his career, breaking a tie he held with Minnesota's Zach Parise for the most in NHL history ... Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin tied a franchise record for career points by a blueliner (134) with an assist on Brassard's goal, sharing the spot with Rostislav Klesla ... Franzen's tally was Detroit's first in 25 power-play chances in its five season meetings with Columbus. The goal also ended a franchise-record string of 24 consecutive penalty kills by the Blue Jackets over a 10-game span ... Bobrovsky made his 100th career NHL appearance.

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