The Jackets are on their way back from the Pacific Northwest swing with a stop in the gateway to the West, St. Louis. And then we don’t have to watch this team for 10 days. Huzzah!
First Period
Well, that certainly was 20 minutes of hockey.
The Blue Jackets started the game buzzing, getting the first three shots on goal, and creating consistent pressure in the St. Louis zone. Unfortunately, that momentum came to a screeching halt after a really bad Mattieu Olivier turnover, and the Jackets struggled to create chances the rest of the period. But, so did the Blues. The teams traded penalties, Boone Jenner hit the post, and St. Louis had a shorthanded 2-on-1, but there was nothing much else to report.
Second Period
More hockey has occurred.
Sorry for the brevity, but this has been a defensive, low-event game. Near the end of the 2nd, there was only 61 shot attempts and 19 shots on goal, combined.
The Jackets got a powerplay, but that was quickly abbreviated with a Dmitri Voronkov “slash.” After the two penalties expired, Kent Johnson got a third, this time a for-realsies hook, which Columbus was also able to kill off. From there, it was kinda the same as the first period; lots of back and forth skating, not a lot of back and forth shooting. Jenner fumbled a breakway around the midway point minute mark, which was followed by a good offensive zone shift for the CBJ towards the end of the period. Mattieu Olivier and Tyler Tucker got in a fight with two minutes to go. And to end the period, Jenner was awarded with a goal, that actually just hit the post and wasn’t a goal at all.
Third Period
The period opened with a bang, as St. Louis got their best chance of the night early; Elvis Merzlikins had to make a sprawling save off a dangerous rebound to keep this at zeroes. Shortly thereafter, Zach Werenski would lead a rush up the ice, and found Dmitri Voronkov, who buried it behind Binnington for what would be the lone goal of the night.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Dmitri Voronkov from Zach Werenski and Johnny Gaudreau – 4:11 3rd Period
The third period would be played at a higher pace, doubling the shots on goal from the first two, but there weren’t a lot more high quality shots. The Blues would push in the middle of the frame, but Elvis stood tall. Columbus would counter-pressure for once towards the end of the frame, before St. Louis pulled Binnington with 1:50 to play. Despite some chances, the Blue Jackets were able to clear the zone where it mattered, and walked away with their shutout since January 13, 2022, 747 days and 179 games ago.
Next up is All Star Weekend, followed by the Blue Jackets’ bye week. The All Star Game is Saturday at 3:00 EST on ABC; the next CBJ game is February 10th versus Tampa Bay.