The Columbus Blue Jackets' surprising season of exceeding expectations and contending for the playoffs is still going after beating the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals twice this weekend.

The race for the two wild-card playoff spots in the NHL’s Eastern Conference is full of surprises.

The second half of the NHL season begins Saturday with 14 games coming out of the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek scored on a strong night for the second line, Mats Zuccarello added a power-play goal and the Minnesota Wild opened the season by beating former coach Dean Evason and the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2.

Fans and Columbus Blue Jackets players gathered for an emotional candlelight vigil outside the team’s arena to remember Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew.

The Columbus Blue Jackets say Zach Werenski is expected to miss one to two weeks with a right leg injury.

Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman won the Hardest Shot competition and St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou was the Fastest Skater during an NHL All-Star skills competition with a distinct Vegas flavor.

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has been selected to the 2022 NHL All-Star Atlantic Division roster.

Washington star Alexander Ovechkin and high-scoring Edmonton teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl headline the rosters for the NHL All-Star Weekend announced Thursday.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 20th goal of the season and the 750th of his NHL career to help the Washington Capitals beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 and snap a two-game skid.

Zach Werenski scored the go-ahead goal with 1:19 remaining after Yegor Chinakhov tied it with his first NHL goal, and the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied past the Detroit Red Wings 5-3.

Lucas Raymond made his first NHL goal a big one for the Detroit Red Wings, breaking a scoreless tie at 6:38 of the third period on the way to a 4-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus Blue Jackets players celebrate their goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)COLUMBUS, Ohio – Hours after trading disgruntled center Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Columbus Blue Jackets got three first-period goals and beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 Saturday. Nick Foligno, Mikhail Grigorenko, Vladislav Gavrikov, Zach Werenski and Eric Robinson scored, and Elvis Merzlikins had 30 saves as the Blue Jackets played their most explosive game of the season. The Blue Jackets tied it 17 seconds later when Foligno knocked in a rebound off Vasilevsky's stick. The Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and Thursday.

“We’ve been more dangerously offensively the last two games, but we’ve given up too much," Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. Texier's wraparound goal 5:10 into the final period put the Blue Jackets ahead for the first time. The Red Wings pulled Greiss with a few minutes left to add an extra skater. He had 65 goals and 93 assists over his first three seasons with the Blue Jackets. Mikko Koivu has not made his Blue Jackets debut because the 37-year-old center, who had spent his entire career in Minnesota, had to miss a third straight game.

TORONTO Goalie Joonas Kirpisalo and the Columbus Blue Jackets proved how they learned their lesson about holding three-goal leads. Korpisalo stopped 33 shots, Zach Werenski's floater from the left point in the first period held up as the winner, and the Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-0 win in a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night. The Maple Leafs ran out of offense with captain John Tavares misfiring by hitting the post while facing a wide-open side in the first period. The Maple Leafs continued their one-and-done playoff woes in making their fourth straight postseason appearance, and fifth since the 2004-05 NHL lockout. NOTES: Maple Leafs LW Andreas Johnsson returned to play after being activated off injured reserve earlier in the day.