After winning two in a row, the Blue Jackets were in North Carolina to take on the Hurricanes. It was a fun game until the last 10 minutes. Elvis Merzlikins was outstanding, but it was another late-game blown lead. This time, the game didn’t even make it to overtime. Here’s how it went down.
1st Period
There wasn’t much flow to the game early on. Merzlikins was forced to make a couple of good saves, and the Jackets only managed one shot on goal before the first TV timeout.
Later in the period, the Jackets couldn’t capitalize on a prime chance. Gaudreau slid the puck over to Chinakhov on a two-on-one, but Chinny couldn’t find the back of the net.
Voronkov made a great play in tight space when he made the defender bounce off of him, used a quick deke to get to the net, and got a shot in tight. Unfortunately, Kochetkov was there to make the stop.
Jiricek went to the box for holding an opponent’s stick with three minutes left in the period. It was a soft penalty, one that usually doesn’t get called against veterans. Elvis stood strong, and the Jackets killed off the penalty.
The Hurricanes dominated the period. Fortunately, Elvis was up to the task. Shots in all situations went in Carolina’s favor 18 to 8. The expected goals also went against the good guys, 1.15 to 0.31.
Gudbranson and Bean got caved in during the first period. Carolina had 10 shots on net at 5v5 with Gudbranson on the ice, and Bean saw only 1 unblocked shot attempt for and 8 against.
2nd Period
The Jackets got several shots on net to start the second period but had nothing to show for it.
Chinakhov made a spinning poke check at the blue line that led to a two-on-one. He was able to get the pass over to Texier, who was only able to get a weak shot in on net.
Defensively, the Jackets were doing a much better job of limiting Carolina shots. The problem, however, was that they were still struggling to produce offense. They had a few deflections and a couple of open shots that went wide, but you really wanted to see them do a better job of getting to the net.
Late in the period, Robinson made a great play on the forecheck to get Danforth a mini-breakaway. Danforth made a move, and Kochetkov’s aggressive poke check kept the game scoreless.
The second period was much more even, and the Jackets were likely pleased with the scoreless game. Elvis was giving them a prime opportunity to win the game in the third period.
3rd Period
Marchenko broke the stalemate only seconds into the third period. He took a sharp angle shot and surprised Kochetkov by beating him short side top corner.
CBJ Goal 1-0: Marchenko (Gaudreau) 00:13
The first goal opened up the floodgates for the Jackets. A few minutes later, a turnover found Gaudreau’s stick, and he deflected it off of a Hurricane defender and into the net.
CBJ Goal 2-0: Gaudreau (unassisted) 6:41
Merzlikins made a stellar stop on Necas to keep the two-goal lead. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes scored a few moments later. A pass to the slot found Kotkaniemi, and the shot was placed in a spot that gave Elvis no chance.
CAR Goal 2-1: Kotkaniemi (Teravainen, Necas) 10:01
In pure Columbus fashion, the Jackets gave their opponent a power play immediately after a goal against. It was Jenner for tripping. The Jackets once again killed off the penalty, which included a shorthanded chance from Sillinger and Danforth.
Danforth took a slapshot directly to the kneecap in an effort to block the shot. He remained on the bench but doubled over in pain.
The Hurricanes tied the game with three minutes remaining. It felt like the puck had been in the Columbus zone for four minutes, and the passive defending of a lead by the Blue Jackets once again led to the game-tying goal.
CAR Goal 2-2: Skjei (Svechnikov, Jarvis) 16:51
To make matters worse, Carolina took the lead a minute later. Gudbranson and Provorov got twisted up in the defensive zone, and Svechnikov had an easy shot for the lead.
CAR Goal 3-2: Svechnikov (Aho, Jarvis) 18:03
The Jackets couldn’t get much going with only two minutes left. Game over.
Team Leaders
Points: Gaudreau (1-1-2)
Goals: Marchenko, Gaudreau (1)
Shot attempts: Fantilli (5)
xGF%: Boqvist (57.93)
Final Thoughts
It’s hard to blame losses on one player, but Gudbranson was beyond horrible in this game. While he was on the ice at 5v5, Carolina had 33 shot attempts, and Columbus had 5. He was also on the ice for two goals against. Carolina’s game-winning goal was a result of blown coverage on his part. The Blue Jackets probably have a much better chance to win this game without Gudbranson.
Elvis was stellar for the second game in a row. It’s a shame they couldn’t get the win.
Vincent’s plan when defending a late one-goal lead is bad. The Jackets had no answer for the last six minutes of the game, and you could smell the game-tying goal a mile away.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets are back in action Monday night at home against the Bruins at 7:00 PM ET.