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

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.

The Blue Jackets are underway in a key stretch that could go a long way in deciding whether their fans are doing “playoff math” this spring.

Zach Werenski climbs higher, the Blue Jackets are watching the standings closer and the San Jose Sharks were overmatched: 3 takeaways

COLUMBUS -- James van Riemsdyk scored twice, and Zach Werenski extended his home point streak to 18 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won their sixth straight game with a 4-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks at Nationwide Arena on Thursday.

Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko scored in the shootout as the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night.

They didn’t get to six goals, but the Blue Jackets did move into the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference over the Boston Bruins by extending their season-high winning streak to six straight games Thursday at Nationwide Arena.

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The Rangers continued their recent stretch of improved play, notching a 1-0 shootout win over the Blue Jackets. Igor Shesterkin stopped all 27 shots in regulation and overtime as well as all three in the shootout.

The 26-year-old, who was traded to the nation's capital from the Ottawa Senators during the offseason, scored his 13th goal of the season on a rocket of a shot from the blue line to beat Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Joel Blomqvist.

Igor Shesterkin was flawless on Saturday night, and the New York Rangers needed him to be just that in a 1-0 shootout victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Madison Square Garden.