After a disappointing loss on Thursday night, the Jackets certainly didn’t want to drop two games in a row at home. A bad third period nearly ruined the fun, but they were able to pull through and move up to fourth in the Metro.
1st Period
Olivier went to the box for hooking only two minutes in. That’s definitely how you want to start the game. The Blues had a couple of chances early in the man advantage, but the penalty kill did a great job of disrupting any zone setup the rest of the way.
The Jackets had a long shift in the offensive zone after the Blues’ power play. Mateychuk passed up a wide-open shot during the possession – he has been hesitant to shoot so far in his time in the NHL.
Elvis made a terrific save on a back door pass right in front of him. He has been making more of those kinds of saves lately. Hopefully, he can build on that confidence.
A few minutes later, Elvis made another two big saves. One was on a breakaway, and one was on Kyrou, who had the puck alone in front of him.
The Jackets got their first power play when Tucker went off for interference after he put a pick on Olivier. They managed some good zone time, but the puck mostly stayed on the outside and away from the net.
With less than a minute left in the period, the Jackets broke the ice. A Werenski point shot produced a rebound, and Voronkov was all over it. All he had to do was sweep the puck into the net.
CBJ Goal 1-0: Voronkov (Werenski, Provorov) 19:01
It was nearly 2-0 when JvR and KJ had a two-on-one. A JvR rebound went right toward KJ, but the puck bounced over his stick.
It took a few minutes for the Jackets to get their legs after the initial puck drop, but once they did, they controlled most of the period. Shot attempts at 5v5 favored Columbus 28-16. Despite the lopsided shot attempts, the Blues had 1.51 expected goals in all situations, mainly due to several very high-danger chances.
2nd Period
Saad got booked for hooking Sillinger to start the second. KJ did a masterful job of directing traffic from the boards and got the puck to Monahan in the middle. Monahan slid the puck over to Marchenko, who banked the puck off of Parayko’s stick and into the net. I think he was trying to get the puck over to Voronkov, but it still counts regardless.
CBJ PP Goal 2-0: Marchenko (Monahan, K. Johnson) 2:15
The majority of the middle part of the period was played in the middle of the ice. The Blues were able to get several dangerous shots off, including a few in tight, but Elvis continued his masterful play.
Olivier and Tucker squared off towards the end of a mostly uneventful period. It ended quickly when Tucker went to the ice, but Olivier got one big clock in as he was falling.
3rd Period
Aston-Reese went off for slashing at the beginning of the period. It was a completely unnecessary slash and ended up stopping a Fantilli rush chance.
The Blues scored during the penalty when Kyrou was left all alone in the slot. Fortunately, the Blue Jacket scored shorthanded before that. Pyyhtia turned on the jets and showed some skill, putting the puck in the perfect spot.
CBJ SH Goal 3-0: Pyyhtia (Provorov, Monahan) 3:44
STL PP Goal 3-1: Kyrou (Holloway, Schenn) 4:54
Shortly after those two goals, Werenski sent a beautiful pass to Fantilli, who corraled the puck with a spin move and then put it past Hofer and the far side.
CBJ Goal 4-1: Fantilli (Werenski, Fabbro) 5:25
Unfortunately, the Blues got that one back off a rebound. Kuraly lost his man, leaving Fowler all alone to put it home.
STL Goal 4-2: Fowler (Holloway, Kyrou) 6:55
The chaos continued when Voronkov potted his second of the game. Harris’ point shot deflected to Monahan, but it was Voronkov who put a backhanded shot past Hofer.
CBJ Goal 5-2: Voronkov (Monahan, Harris) 7:24
That was five goals in less than four minutes.
The Blue got another one back when Parayko fired an absolute bomb of a slapper (99.9 mph) past Elvis. No one is stopping that shot.
STL Goal 5-3: Parayko (Buchnevich, Texier) 12:54
The Blues pulled their goal with 4:25 left for an offensive zone face off. They scored when Schenn got three point-blank, uncontested shots in on Merzlikins. Elvis saved the first two, and almost had the third.
STL Goal 5-4: Schenn (Fowler, Neighbours) 16:16
Olivier got the empty netter with 1:01 left.
CBJ EN Goal 6-4: Olivier (Provorov, Sillinger) 18:59
Final Thoughts
You have to feel for Elvis. He was outstanding tonight, but still ended with a sub-.900 save percentage. The defense was awful in the third period, allowing 15 scoring chances. Fortunately, the offense won the night.
Jack Johnson is bad. I’m not sure why he’s in the lineup every night.
Provorov had a three assist night and still ended up -1 in all situations.
We should all be incredibly thankful for the first line (and Werenski). They’ve kept this team’s head above water and vaulted them to fourth in the Metro without Chinakhov, Jenner, Gudbranson, and Danforth. Voronkov and Marchenko, specifically, were on the ice for four goals for and zero against tonight.
Up Next
Tuesday night will be a big game. The Penguins, who share the same exact record as the Blue Jackets, will play host. The puck drops at 7:00 PM EST.