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Jackets clinch first playoff berth, edge Blackhawks

Apr 9, 2009 - 4:54 AM CHICAGO (AP) -- Rick Nash put Columbus in the playoffs for the first time, and Fedor Tyutin capped the Blue Jackets' big night with the shootout winner.

After Nash scored a late goal to force overtime and give the Blue Jackets the final point they needed to clinch a playoff spot, Tyutin scored the lone goal in the shootout in Columbus' 4-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Columbus, which entered the NHL in 2000-01, was the only active team that hadn't made the playoffs. Against Chicago, the Blue Jackets overcame 2-0 and 3-2 deficits.

Nash scored his 39th goal with 5:30 left in regulation to tie it at 3 and set up overtime. Antoine Vermette also scored and assisted on Jason Williams' goal in regulation.

The Blue Jackets earned the one point they needed to qualify for the playoffs by reaching overtime.

"To get that one point was huge, to come back after being down 2-0," Nash said. "To get the win was even more important. We're going to try to win these last two games to keep our position in the standings. I don't know if it's quite sunk in yet. We're so used to playing out the season."

For the Blue Jackets, the milestone had additional meaning. John H. McConnell, the Blue Jackets' founder and majority owner, died in April 2008 at age 84.

"It's great," Nash said. "We did it for ourselves, but most of all we did it for Mr. Mac. We know he's up there watching. I'm sure he's sitting in his chair and has a cigar in his mouth."

"I'm proud of the guys," Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock said. "I wasn't happy about the first period. I thought we were light on the puck. In the second and third period, we came back and managed the play."

After Nash tied it with what Hitchcock called "the biggest goal in the history of the franchise," Hitchcock called on an unlikely shooter in Tyutin as his second in the shootout. Nash had hit the post on Columbus' first attempt.

"We've seen him in practice," Hitchcock said. "He's got three or four moves. I just felt like we needed to change things up."

Brent Seabrook, Dave Bolland and Martin Havlat scored in regulation for the Blackhawks, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Chicago needs one point to clinch the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Blackhawks will make their first postseason appearance since 2002 and only their second in 11 seasons.

"It would have been nice to get both points tonight," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "We definitely left a valuable point on the table. I think we started well, but Columbus is a desperate team that fought back hard."

Chicago will close the regular season with a home-and-home series against Detroit.

"We haven't accomplished anything yet," Quenneville said. "We haven't reached our final goal, our final destination. That's home ice."

Columbus goalie Steve Mason made 24 saves. Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin stopped 19 shots in his fifth straight start and the 10th in the last 11 games.

Chicago led, 2-0, after the first period.

Khabibulin made a blocker save on Nash's penalty shot 8:59 in to keep it scoreless. Nash was awarded the attempt after being hooked from behind by Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith on a breakaway.

Seabrook opened the scoring with a power-play breakaway with 6:12 left in the first. The goal ended Chicago's 0-for-23 slump with the man advantage.

After serving an interference call, Seabrook sprinted from the penalty box to center ice. He took a long pass from Brian Campbell, skated in alone and beat Mason with a low shot between the pads.

Bolland was credited with a goal with 21 seconds left in the period.

After taking Kris Versteeg's pass on a 2-on-1 break, Bolland skated wide to the right side of the net as Mason came out to challenge. Bolland's centering pass drifted behind Mason and into the slot, then was knocked into the net by Nash sliding on the ice as he tried to catch up with the play.

Vermette and Williams scored 2:23 apart early in the second to tie it.

After Khabibulin had made saves on Raffi Torres and Nash, Vermette converted a second rebound at 5:37 to cut it to 2-1. Williams tied it, finishing a 2-on-none break with Vermette.

Havlat restored Chicago's lead at 3-2 with 2:17 left in the second on a rising shot from the right circle that ticked in off the left post. Patrick Kane's centering pass from below the goal line set him up.

Nash tied it at 3 with 5:30 left in the third, when he slipped in alone from the left side of the net and beat Khabibulin with a backhander. Chicago outshot Columbus, 5-0, in overtime. Mason made two close-in saves in the final seconds.