Pair of penalty shot goals power Tortorella’s Blue Jackets to playoffs
NEWARK, N.J. — Making the playoffs for the third time in franchise history is just the first step for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
There’s much more serious work ahead for coach John Tortorella and his team in the next few weeks: making a run at the Stanley Cup.
Lukas Sedlak and Brandon Dubinsky scored on penalty shots and the Blue Jackets returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 with a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
The win was the fourth straight for the Blue Jackets. It gave them their first 100-point season and, with 11 games left, moved them into a tie with Washington for the NHL’s best record.
The game was also one for the record book. This was only the third time in NHL history that a team scored twice in a game on penalty shots.
Thomas Gradin and Ivan Hlinka of Vancouver did it against Detroit in 1982, and Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton of San Jose converted against Washington in 2009.