Cam Atkinson (No 13) of the Columbus Blue Jackets gets a hug from teammate Boone Jenner after s coring a goal in the first period against the Chicaho Blackhawks at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (AFP)

 

By Aaron Portzline/The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio


The Blue Jackets are only playing for pride these days, not a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But pride is not a small matter.
The Blue Jackets beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-2 at the United Center Friday night before 22,187, and it was a night that dotted the club record book.
The Jackets have won five straight games overall, and seven consecutive on the road, a franchise record. Cam Atkinson had his second career hat trick. Ryan Johansen and Kevin Connauton also scored and Cody Goloubef had two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky had 31 saves, stopping the final 21 shots he faced.
“Obviously, a lot of people will say it’s hard to get motivated, especially since we’re not going to make the playoffs,” said Atkinson, who has 19 goals. “But we’re playing for pride, we’re playing for each other and we’re playing for our fans back in Columbus. I think they deserve this the most.”
Atkinson’s third goal was scored into an empty net with 59 seconds remaining, and a single green hat fell to the ice. It’s the first time the Blue Jackets have had back-to-back games with hat tricks. Left wing Scott Hartnell had three goals Tuesday in a 5-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
“Hartsy has to share the spotlight a little bit,” Atkinson said.
The win was the Blue Jackets’ eighth in their past nine games, pushing them back to .500 for the first time since January 9.
“We still have such a young team, with so much room for growth, so we don’t want to take these games, this opportunity for granted,” Johansen said.
“We wanted to keep going day by day, getting better as individuals and as a team. Everybody’s on the same page right now, and you could see it in our play.”
The Blue Jackets thrived in a frantic first period in which six goals and 29 shots on goal were generated by both clubs. The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 3:26 of the first, but the Jackets responded 41 seconds later.
Johansen picked off a puck at his own blue line, then outraced two Blackhawks the length of the ice and beat Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford for his 25th goal. The Jackets took a 2-1 lead at 9:24 of the first when Atkinson redirected a point shot by Goloubef.
Back came the Blackhawks, tying the score at 2 when Jonathan Toews redirected a point shot form Johnny Oduya at 11:38. But it wasn’t tied for long.
Connauton, on his third shot attempt in 11 seconds, found the net on No.3, a burner through traffic that Crawford never saw, making it 3-2. The Jackets increased their lead at 15:46 with a short-handed goal, the second of Atkinson’s career.
It started in the Jackets’ end, first with a smart play along the wall by Atkinson and then by a nifty pass down the middle of the ice to spring Atkinson.
With a two-goal cushion, coach Todd Richards timed Atkinson’s last shift for the final minute, when Chicago would likely have an empty net.
“It’s too bad these games don’t mean anything right now,” Johansen said. “Just definitely happy with the way we’re playing. This is fun.”