The Columbus Blue Jackets flew to Dallas with one thing on their minds - beating the Dallas Stars. By defeating the Stars, the CBJ would clinch their 2nd appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ever. It didn't hurt that they started the game with a 1-0 lead. The goal offically scored by Nathan Horton, back on March 10th, was in a game that the NHL had postponed due to the Rich Peverley cardiac event, as you may recall.
The CBJ came out blazing, scoring a little over a minute into the game on a goal by Artem Anisimov. It was a brilliant goal. Just a few minutes later, Mark Letestu scored at the tail end of a 4 minute power play. That tally was Letestu's 3rd game in a row with a goal. Dallas pulled their goalie with 12 minutes left in the game, as a strategic move to stir up some scoring, and it worked. The Stars scored to make it 3-1.
The final score was 3-1, and the Columbus Blue Jackets moved into the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. They sit tied with the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers with 91 points. They own the tie-breaker - Detroit due to regulation or overtime wins. But they fall short on the tie-breaker with the Flyers because of said regulation or over times wins.
But more importantly, the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the playoiffs. The team and fans everywhere could be heard yelling, and loudly. All that's left is seeding, and the CBJ could possibly finish 3rd in the division or with either wild card. Either way, the Jackets are in the playoffs, and their city is on fire.