It wasn’t pretty, but the Columbus Blue Jackets managed to comeback from a 2-0 third period deficit to beat the host Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the shootout.
Our old friend Cam Atkinson was a healthy scratch, as the Flyers dressed 11 forwards and 7 defensemen. John Tortorella was honored during the game for coaching his 1500th NHL game during a recent road trip.
First Period
After killing an early penalty, it was a pretty sleepy start to the game. The Blue Jackets eventually got a power play of their own past the halfway point, but in a sign of how things would be all night, they managed just a single shot attempt (and the best chance during those two minutes came from Flyers penalty killer Sean Walker.
Travis Konecny (named tonight as Philly’s All-Star representative) drew first blood late in the period. All three Russian forwards ended up on one side of the ice along the boards, which left Ivan Provorov alone to cover the back door. Joel Farabee camped out in the slot and found Konecny behind a confused Damon Severson.
Shortly therafter, Mathieu Olivier was called for interference. On the opening faceoff, Justin Danforth was penalized for a faceoff violation. This left the Jackets having to defend a full 2 minutes of 5v3. They managed to successfully kill it thanks to clearing efforts by Cole Sillinger and Jack Roslovic. Daniil Tarasov stepped up at the very end with a key save after Roslovic left the zone to replace a broken stick.
Second Period
This period was dominated by the Flyers, despite the Blue Jackets drawing multiple penalties. It wasn’t clear what the PP plan was for the Jackets, with a few different line combinations, and not any that we had seen before. On one of the power plays, Yegor Chinakhov didn’t see the ice at all, but the fourth line did at the very end, for an offensive zone faceoff just seconds before the power play expired. Absolute galaxy brain nonsense there.
There were stretches in this period where the Jackets were buried in their zone and just could not get the puck out.
Another power play got a few more looks, including a Johnny Gaudreau shot off the bar. But then Severson took a tripping penalty at the end, which meant the Jackets would start the final frame on the kill.
Third Period
That penalty was killed, but the Flyers struck a few minutes later for Konecny’s second of the night. This play makes me so mad. He just skates right through Jake Bean (who was losing his balance scrambling back on defense), then bounced off of Erik Gudbranson into Tarasov as the puck trickled in. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN
You know how we have this annoying knack for giving up quick response goals? This time we reversed the script. Less than a minute after the Flyers’ goal, Severson cut the lead in half after a beautiful pass from Fantilli.
Shortly after that, Fantilli drew a hooking penalty for the THIRD time of the night, but again the power play was completely ineffective.
Luckily this team can score at even strength. Gudbranson made a nice outlet pass to Bean, who dropped it to Roslovic. At first it seemed like a Roslovic goal, but it was determined it went off Bean’s stick on the way in.
Then it was Kent Johnson’s turn to draw a hooking penalty, and this time the power play generated five shots on goal. There was a scary moment, however, as Danforth inadvertently checked Gaudreau in the open ice as they attempted to enter the offensive zone. Gaudreau skated off but was able to return to the game later.
After 60 minutes, the Blue Jackets headed to overtime for the fifth time in the last seven games. 12th OT game for both teams (3-8 for Columbus, 6-5 for Philadelphia)
Overtime
It felt like the Flyers had more control of the puck, even though the Blue Jackets recorded more shot attempts. The only units that had any sustained possession were Chinakhov/Fantilli/Provorov and Johnson/Texier/Severson. Credit to Bean for a nice defensive zone turnover at one point.
Shootout
Couturier blocked
Gaudreau scores on a deke
Brink shoots into Tarasov’s pads
Johnson skates wide to the right, then left, then tries to backhand and misses high
Tarasov glove saves Foerster shot
Final Thoughts
I was hard on Tarasov after his first three starts, which were terrible. Over his last two, however, he’s been incredible. He saved 39 of 42 on Saturday in Buffalo, then 39 of 41 tonight. He kept the Jackets in the game during a long stretch when there was no offense.
It was a sloppy game. Not only were the usual struggles with passing, but it didn’t feel like the Jackets skated well, either. Lots of turnovers due to guys falling over.
Credit to Fantilli and Johnson for drawing penalties. They showed what happens when you possess the puck and keep your feet moving. Now, if only the power play could take advantage of that.
After that awful second period, the line blender was active in the third period. It was hard to get a sense of what the new lines were, though. Danforth moved up with Fantilli and Gaudreau at one point, and Sillinger ended up with Marchenko and Chinakhov, but not right away. The Russians were minimized tonight, which is odd given that they were the second-best possession line early on. Also bizarre that they weren’t trusted together as part of the power play. The first goal against was on them, but that shouldn’t be the end of it when no other line (besides Fantilli/Gaudreau) was doing any better at having the puck.
Tonight, the All-Star rosters were announced, with Boone Jenner included as the Columbus representative. You could make a case for a few other guys as well, but it’s good to see the Ontario native get a chance to attend this event in Toronto. Hopefully he is recovered from his broken jaw and can actually participate.
The complete roster can be seen here. Congrats to former Jacket Oliver Bjorkstrand! There are more spots open for fan voting, which you can do here. Put Fantilli, Gaudreau, and Marchenko on your ballot!
Finally, congratulations to friend of the site Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, who became an American citizen today. It’s easy to take this country for granted when you were born and raised here, and it’s easy to get wrapped up in news coverage of our faults. We’re certainly not a perfect country, but I love seeing immigrants being so proud and happy to become citizens. It’s a useful reminder that this is a special place.
Up Next
The Jackets host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night, who are about to lose their fourth straight game as of this writing