175 years ago, thousands traveled west to California in search of fortune. This week, the Columbus Blue Jackets found only fool’s gold for their efforts, scoring just 5 goals in 3 games and earning a single standings point.
Despite some shuffling among the forward lines (Adam Fantilli up to left wing on the top line, Cole Sillinger back to center on the second line between Dmitri Voronkov and Yegor Chinakhov), the Jackets were unable to create enough quality chances against Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson, who was making his first appearance of the season following an emergency appendectomy in September.
First Period
This was the second back-to-back of the season for the Jackets, and the second time that the back half began less than 24 hours after the start time for the first game. They were a big sluggish in the early shifts, and Anaheim capitalized on a neutral zone turnover during a line change. There were passes by Jack Johnson and James Van Riemsdyk that were just off, and prevented a clean breakout.
Despite Gibson being rusty, the Jackets didn’t get their first shot on him until five minutes into the game.
Halfway through the first, the Jackets finally got bit of sustained pressure and the first line (plus the first defensive pair) created a flurry of shots. At one point Fantilli had an open net for a rebound shot, but defenseman Brian Dumoulin managed to get his stick in the way.
Justin Danforth took a questionable slashing penalty, but the Jackets defended the power play well and had a couple of short-handed rushes. After the penalty expired, the ice continued to tilt their way. The sustained pressure drew a penalty against the Ducks, and Yegor Chinakhov evened the game.
That snaps a scoring streak for Chinkahov, so it’s good to see him get this confidence boost. He was shooting a lot tonight. While the goal tonight was to create more high danger chances, I feel like Chinakhov is a threat from anywhere in the zone because of the power in his shot. Sillinger’s screen of the goalie helped too.
Second Period
Anaheim took the lead back early in the period, after a juicy rebound from Daniil Tarasov. One difference between him and Elvis Merzlikins this season is rebound control.
Midway through the period, the Jackets put together a shift that left some Ducks playing defense for over three minutes without a break (expect for one icing). The end result was a cross-checking penalty, but the Jackets couldn’t create enough high danger chances with the man advantage.
Third Period
Columbus continued to control the play in the first half of the third period, but it wasn’t crisp hockey, and again they weren’t getting many shots around the net.
Much of the pregame narrative was about the first meeting of the #2 and #3 picks from the 2023 draft, Leo Carlsson and Adam Fantilli. It was Carlsson that came out on top with the insurance goal. There are five white jerseys between Carlsson and the goal but somehow this rebound shot went in. It was that kind of game.
Kirill Marchenko – arguably the best forward on the team this season? – managed to get the Jackets back within striking distance with his sixth goal of the season. He was noticeable in a good way tonight.
Tarasov was pulled with just over two minutes remaining, but a lost faceoff led to Isac Lundestrom scoring an empty net goal to ice the game.
Final Thoughts
Congrats to Zach Werenski on playing his 500th NHL game. In the absence of captain Boone Jenner, Z has really stepped up as a leader in the room AND he has been having one of his best seasons on the ice. He led the team tonight with 18 shot attempts and 8 shots on goal.
While the Blue Jackets controlled possession in the game (85 shot attempts in all situations, vs. 60), the expected goals were more even (3.63 vs. 3.87). You could say that this was another game where the Jackets got “goalie’d” but as Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre pointed out in the postgame show, if you keep running into hot goalies, at some point that’s a you problem. The Jackets moved the puck well in the zone, but didn’t get enough shots in the “home plate” area around the crease and between the circles, and they didn’t get many second chance shots either.
Up Next
Well baby I hear the blues a-callin’, tossed salads and scrambled eggs
The Blue Jackets finish their road trip on Tuesday night in Seattle at 10:00 PM EST.