Blue Jackets 8, Blues 1
(box) – Highlights
CBJ: 9-5-0, 18 pts

When the Blue Jackets and Blues have gotten together over the past couple of seasons, each game generally ends in some kind of defensive, slugged-out, physical beating of a game. The Blue came in as the top goals-against team in the league at under two a game. The Jackets hadn’t scored more than three in a game, and themselves were in the top top in the league in goals-against. Looks like another hard-fought, physical beat-down defensive struggle, no? Yes… err, except for the “defensive struggle” part.

The Jackets got to Jaroslav Halak early and often, scoring three goals in each of the first two periods to take a 6-1 lead into the dressing room after two periods and to earn Scott Arniel his first real signature win as the Blue Jackets head coach, and the two teams traded physical blows all throughout the third as the penalty box became prime real-estate.