Blackhawks-Blue Jackets: Chicago Gets a Big Win On Many Levels

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 Sunday in an overtime thriller.

This game showed a great deal about the maturation process of this young Hawks roster. Just a week ago, the Hawks were coming out of a funk that saw them losing to mediocre teams like the Avalanche and Islanders. Now they appear to be ready for the postseason.

This was a big win for the Blackhawks in a number of ways.

First, it was a big win because it gets the Hawks closer to clinching the fourth seed and home ice advantage in the first round of the Western Conference Playoffs. If the season had ended on Sunday, the Hawks would host Vancouver in Round One.

Moreover, it was a bigger win because the Hawks showed a great deal of mettle in a hostile, playoff-level environment. In front of a hostile and desperate crowd of nearly 16,000, the Hawks were playing a team scratching to stay in the playoff picture. Columbus played as well as they could, as did the Hawks.

The Hawks' best was good enough.

Perhaps most importantly, the Hawks defeated a great goaltender having a great day. Steve Mason, despite the loss, probably clinched Rookie of the Year honors with his incredible day. He stopped 24 of 25 shots in regulation and overtime until Kris Versteeg, maybe the runner up for the top rookie honors, beat him on a breakaway.

If the fear in playing Vancouver in the first round is that the Hawks won't be able to do anything against a great goalie like Roberto Luongo, they experienced what it takes to beat a top goalie in a playoff atmosphere on Sunday. Mason had one of his best days of the year, and the Hawks found a way to win.

The way the Hawks found to win was the fourth and final part of this big victory: Nikolai Khabibulin played an incredible game. The biggest reason the Hawks kept Khabibulin at the trade deadline (other than him being hurt at the time) was that he's battle tested and, when he's on, he's as good as anyone on the planet.

On Sunday, fans of the Blue Jackets and Blackhawks were graced with one of the best head-to-head goalie performances of the season. Khabibulin dominated a team that was playing well.  The Jackets had good opportunities at the net, and needed a win.

Sunday was why Khabibulin is still on the Hawks roster. And he rewarded GM Dale Tallon with a big performance.

The impact of the Hawks' recent stretch of good play against playoff-level teams will obviously only prove to be legit if the Hawks can carry some momentum into the playoffs and make some noise. But Sunday should serve a great foundation for that momentum to build.