After 18 seasons, the Columbus Blue Jackets are going somewhere they've never been before - the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Jackets, who didn't secure their wild-card berth in the playoffs until nearly the last game of the regular season, managed to sweep Tampa - a team that had tied the NHL record for most wins in a season - and they did it before a jubilant home crowd that saw them win Game 4 last night 7-3.
19-year old Columbus rookie Alexandre Texier scored his first playoff goal just over two minutes into the first period, and Pierre-Luc Dubois added another a minute later. Defenseman Seth Jones added yet another at the start of the second. Despite a second period rally by Tampa that temporarily evened the score, Columbus pulled ahead a minute later with a goal by forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, a lead that held until the last few minutes of regulation play, when Columbus added three empty net goals to clinch the sweep. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky turned away 30 of 33 shots on goal. Jones, Jackets captain Nick Foligno, and coach John Tortorella all talked after the game about the historic victory and what it means for fans.
Tampa is the first team in the expansion era to go winless in the first round of the playoffs after leading the league in points during the regular season. Tampa coach Jon Cooper:
This is the fifth time the Blue Jackets have made it to the first round of the playoffs, but the first time they've advanced. They will face the winner of the Boston Bruins-Toronto Maple Leafs series, which the Leafs currently lead 2-1.
