After losing a shootout against the Avalanche in which the teams alternated 3-goal runs, the Columbus Blue Jackets got another chance to knock off Colorado. Joonas Korpisalo makes his season debut, while Mattieu Olivier subs in for the injured Jakub Voracek.
First Period
The top line and pair had some good offensive zone pressure to start the game, but the Avalanche’s first breakout led to a goal. Nathan MacKinnon found Artturi Lehkonen on a 2-on-1 Korpisalo had no chance on. Mikko Rantanen also earned his fifth point of the weekend.
AVALANCHE GOAL – Artturi Lehkonen from MacKinnon and Rantanen – 0:33 1st
The Avs would stay in control for the next few minutes, before drawing a slashing penalty courtesy of Gustav Nyquist. Korpisalo made a pair of great saves, and the defense killed it off.
The game would level off, as the teams traded rushes and chances. Alex Georgiev had a particularly bad misplay that Laine sent to Gaudreau, who missed the net entirely. Apparently displeased, their line partnered up with the Werenski-Blankenburg pair for the Jackets’ best shift of the season on their next shift. They kept pressure on the Avs for almost two minutes, keeping the puck in the zone and getting shots off. They’d be rewarded with a power play chance, and Boone Jenner deflected a Werenski shot in.
BLUE JACKETS POWER PLAY GOAL – Boone Jenner from Werenski and Roslovic – 12:27 1st
The game is tied with a power play goal!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/mHugRGioJO
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) November 5, 2022
Things stayed relatively even through the rest of the period, with both teams getting some chances and Joonas Korpisalo making some great saves. The teams would go into the locker room tied 1-1. Of not: Sean Kuraly went down late of the period and was holding his head, return during the second period, and then miss the third. No clue what’s going on there.
Second Period
sigh
Andrew Peeke had one of the worst turnovers of the year that includes many turnovers. Leads directly to an Avalanche goal. Then Blankenburg and Werenski couldn’t get off the ice with the long change, and Colorado wore them down until they punched it in. That was followed a terribly defended 2-on-1, with MacKinnon feeding Devon Towes for the goal. Three goals in three and a half minutes.
AVALANCHE GOAL – Martin Kaut from Makar and MacKinnon – 1:22 2nd
AVALANCHE GOAL – Logan O’Connor from Makar and Towes – 4:13 2nd
AVALANCHE GOAL – Devon Towes from MacKinnon and Makar – 4:50 2nd
Another absolutely inexcusable collapse. The Avalanche would dominate the rest of the period, but Korpisalo did enough to keep it at 4-1.
Olivier and MacDermid fought with 1:07 left. Sure.
Third Period
Honestly, nothing really happened this period, aside from the Avalanche getting another goal. The Jackets looked completely disinterested and Georgiev was more than enough for their last breaths. Laine and Gaudreau were also split up, but that didn’t seem to do much of anything.
AVALANCHE GOAL – Alex Newhook from Rodrigues and Kaut – 1:36 3rd
I don’t really know what else to add here, to be perfectly honest. This team has no defense, is mentally weak, and hasn’t put a complete game together this season. The goalies are saving 40 shots a night, which for most teams means a win every night. For this team it means a 3+ goal loss.
We get a four-game respite before facing the Flyers at home on Thursday.