The Columbus Blue Jackets dominated the shot counter, built early leads, and controlled key stretches against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. They looked like a team finally putting it together.
Then you check the standings and remember this was only their second win in nine games.
Columbus's 5-2 victory over Montreal on April 11 tells two contradictory stories. The box score shows a team that outshot the Canadiens 33-22, scored five goals, and never trailed. The calendar shows a franchise desperately clinging to playoff hopes after going 2-6-1 in their previous nine contests - the kind of skid that typically ends seasons, not saves them.
At 40-29-12 with 92 points and one game remaining, Columbus is currently out of a playoff position. Their 93-point pace suggests a team that's been grinding out results through pure variance rather than sustainable excellence. Yet Charlie Coyle's two goals, including a crucial power-play tally, and Adam Fantilli's two assists showed exactly why this chaotic approach might work when the stakes get higher.
The early dominance was real. Columbus fired 10 shots in the first 5:42 while scoring twice - Boone Jenner converting a Zach Werenski rebound at 1:13, then Coyle finishing a Christiansen feed at 5:42. For a team that managed just 10 goals in their previous 16 games, this represented a complete reversal against Montreal's defense, which had allowed only 11 goals in their prior 21.
But sustainability questions persist. Columbus entered this contest having scored more than three goals just twice in their last 12 games. One explosive offensive performance against Jakub Dobes doesn't erase weeks of struggling to generate consistent scoring chances.
The second period told the real story of Columbus's identity. They held a 27-5 edge in 5-on-5 shot attempts, the kind of shot-share advantage that suggests a team hitting its stride. Kirill Marchenko scored on a rush, Sean Monahan capitalized after Johnson intercepted a Dobes clearing attempt. This was opportunistic hockey at its finest - creating chances through aggressive forechecking and capitalizing immediately.
Montreal, meanwhile, showed why they're positioned better for sustained success. At 48-23-10 with 106 points and a 106-point pace, the Canadiens have built their season on consistency rather than variance. Cole Caufield's power-play goal - his 51st of the season - came in the third period when the game was already decided, but it represented the kind of elite finishing that keeps producing results over 82 games.
The contrast extends beyond individual performances. Columbus needed this kind of explosive offensive output to break their recent slide and keep their playoff dreams alive. Montreal could absorb this loss because they've banked enough points to weather occasional setbacks. One team is surviving game to game; the other is managing their position for April.
Jet Greaves made 20 saves on 22 shots, solid but not spectacular numbers that reflected Montreal's inability to generate sustained pressure despite their offensive talent. The Canadiens managed just one power-play goal on six opportunities, failing to capitalize when Columbus's aggressive style put them in penalty trouble.
This creates an interesting dynamic for Columbus's playoff push. Their high-risk, high-reward approach generates the kind of explosive offensive performances that can steal games from superior opponents. But it also produces the inconsistency that led to their recent 2-6-1 stretch. With one game remaining and their playoff position still precarious, the Blue Jackets have to hope their variance trends positive at exactly the right moment.
The power-play comparison tells the broader story. Both teams converted once in six opportunities, but Columbus used theirs to extend a lead while Montreal needed theirs just to stay relevant. That's the difference between a team controlling its destiny and one hoping circumstances break their way.
Marchenko's continued production suggests Columbus's offensive core has the talent to make noise in a playoff series. Fantilli's two-assist performance shows their young players can contribute in pressure situations. But the underlying metrics raise questions about whether this approach scales to seven-game series against teams built for consistency.
Montreal will be fine. Their structured approach has them positioned for playoff success, and one loss to a desperate opponent doesn't change their trajectory. But Columbus showed something valuable: the ability to generate explosive offensive performances when their season depends on it.
The question is whether the Blue Jackets can summon this kind of execution consistently enough to survive the playoff race. They've proven they can beat quality opponents through opportunistic hockey. In a league where margins are razor-thin, that might be sufficient.
With their season hanging in the balance, Columbus has discovered they can still manufacture the kind of dominant performance that makes them dangerous. Whether they can do it again when it matters most will determine if this playoff push becomes a memory or a launching pad.