A back-to-back after a big win against the Penguins on Friday night. Could the Blue Jackets keep the momentum against the Canadiens? Unfortunately, the answer was no. The Habs scored first and never looked back. Here’s what happened.
1st Period
Caufield was sent off early for slashing against Fantilli. Unfortunately, the Habs had better chances on the power play than the Blue Jackets did. Severson committed a slash when Evans got a jump short-handed, giving the home team a power play.
The Canadiens took the lead on the ensuing power play. Matheson’s point shot got by a screened Tarasov to make it 1-0.
MTL Goal 1-0: Matheson (Caufield, Dach) 4:59
Labanc immediately went to the box for slashing, giving the Habs another power play. The red jerseys managed good possession, but the Jackets were able to kill it off.
Monahan went to the box, committing the third Columbus penalty of the period. The Jackets were once again on their heels, but they killed off the penalty with the help of Tarasov.
The advanced stats were pretty even after 20, but Montreal looked faster and more in sync.
2nd Period
Some back and forth led to the first big event of the second period. Oliver faced off with Xhekaj for a better scrap than what Tyson-Paul offered the night before. Both fighters landed punches, but the slight advantage may have gone to Olivier.
The Jackets broke through when Fabbro scored his first as a Blue Jacket. Werenski dumped the puck to him at the point and Fabbro ripped a shot that made its way to the back of the net through traffic.
CBJ Goal 1-1: Fabbro (Werenski, Labanc) 7:40
The Habs retook the lead off the rush when Suzuki changed direction and then ripped a snapshot past Tarasov.
MTL Goal 2-1: Suzuki (Armia, Xhekaj) 15:49
The game remained very even, and the scoreboard reflected it in the second period.
3rd Period
Unfortunately, the wheels fell off for the Blue Jackets in the third period. Montreal scored three goals on 0.47 expected. That’s bad.
MTL Goal 3-1: Condotta (Armia) 11:04
MTL Goal 4-1: Evans (Caufield) 12:52
MTL Goal 5-1: Anderson (Matheson, Hutson) 15:55
Final Thoughts
Tarasov needs to save some shots. His save percentage on the season is .861. Neither goalie has been good enough so far this season, and it’s costing this team games.
Montreal did a great job shutting down Columbus’ top two lines. At 5v5, those two lines produced almost zero offense.
That’s seven road losses in a row. What gives?
Up Next
The Blue Jackets are headed to Boston for a Monday night matchup against the Bruins. The puck drops at 7:00 PM ET.