Tarasov became the first goaltender in NHL history to record his first career shutout and suffer a loss in the same game.

Despite losing Laine and Gaudreau as top scorers, the fast-rising Blue Jackets have impressed GM Don Waddell with a offensive firepower.

The Blue Jackets 'mucked' it up with Tortorella's Flyers to win by shootout on Marchenko's borrowed move from Texier: 3 takeaways

NEW YORK -- Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and stopped all three shooters in the shootout to lift the New York Rangers to a 1-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. "We played awesome," Shesterkin said about the Rangers defensive effort.

A strong first two periods helped the Blue Jackets survive a third-period push from the Sharks before van Riemsdyk found the empty net.

On Dec. 18, the Blue Jackets ranked 26th in the NHL standings and trailed a wild-card spot by five points. After dropping eight of their last nine games, the playoffs seemed increasingly out of reach. They have gone 9-3 ever since.

They didn’t get to six goals, but the Blue Jackets did move into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference over the Boston Bruins by extending their season-high winning streak to six straight games Thursday at Nationwide Arena.

The Blue Jackets (21-17-6) have won five straight and play the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NBCSCA). They will host the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1 (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, SN360).

The Rangers have two big games against the Blue jackets and Canadiens, two teams fighting to make the playoffs.

Each morning, we will bring you three key NHL stories. Here, you can stay updated on the latest team wins and losses, trade talk, and player news from around the NHL.

Past the season's midpoint, our staff's updated picks for Cup winner, dark horse, biggest disappointment, awards, playoff fields and more.