Tarasov became the first goaltender in NHL history to record his first career shutout and suffer a loss in the same game.

Despite losing Laine and Gaudreau as top scorers, the fast-rising Blue Jackets have impressed GM Don Waddell with a offensive firepower.

On Dec. 18, the Blue Jackets ranked 26th in the NHL standings and trailed a wild-card spot by five points. After dropping eight of their last nine games, the playoffs seemed increasingly out of reach. They have gone 9-3 ever since.

NEW YORK -- Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and stopped all three shooters in the shootout to lift the New York Rangers to a 1-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. "We played awesome," Shesterkin said about the Rangers defensive effort.

A strong first two periods helped the Blue Jackets survive a third-period push from the Sharks before van Riemsdyk found the empty net.

The Blue Jackets (21-17-6) have won five straight and play the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NBCSCA). They will host the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1 (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, SN360).

The four-game, six-night venture begins tonight in Manhattan, as the Blue Jackets take on the New York Rangers before heading to take on the Islanders on Monday. From there, the wheels are up to Toronto for a Wednesday meeting before the trip ends a night later with a third division game Thursday in Carolina.

The Montreal Canadiens are currently playing some very strong hockey. They have earned points in 10 of their last 12 games. Looking at this stretch, it is striking to see that the two regular-season losses were against teams that were at the bottom of the standings at the time: the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tarasov set to play again for the Blue Jackets after using weekend set with Cleveland Monsters to restore his timing and rhythm between the pipes.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to extend their season-high winning streak to five games when they host the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night.

Greaves impresses again, Fantilli's hot, the top line's buzzing, Aston-Reese's injur and the Blue Jackets give 'Monty' another loss: 5 takeaways