This game was over in the first six minutes. Three quick goals, along with the Jackets’ lack of finish, allowed the Canadiens to turtle for long stretches. For your sake, I hope you didn’t watch all 60 minutes. Here’s what happened.
1st Period
Truthfully, I was late to start watching this game. I was going to watch it from the beginning, but when I opened NHL.com, I saw it was 3-0. So, let’s take a look at the first three goals and jump to real-time.
The first goal resulted from sloppy neutral zone play. Then Boqvist’s blind clear attempt ended up on a Canadien stick, and a deflection put the puck past Elvis.
MTL Goal 1-0: Gallagher (Evans) 0:21
The second goal was one Elvis probably wanted back. He was able to get set but missed the Slafkovsky one-timer anyway.
MTL PP Goal 2-0: Slafkovsky (Matheson, Caufield) 3:15
The third goal happened when Bean got manhandled in front of the net. A Xhekaj point shot hit Roy, who parked himself on top of Elvis, and found its way into the net.
MTL Goal 3-0: Roy (Xhekaj, Newhook) 5:48
That was it for Elvis. Only one of the three goals was on him, but the team needed to be sent a message.
The Jackets had a power play and the opportunity to eat into the lead when Struble was called for holding against Nylander. It wasn’t a horrible try, but once again, they failed to score a goal when they needed it the most.
Then Gallagher immediately put Montreal back on the kill when he slashed Gudbranson. The Jackets managed six shots on this attempt, including two high-danger shots, but still couldn’t finish the job.
Kuraly got into a tussle with Gallagher after the Canadien slashed Tarasov. Both went to the box to make it 4-on-4.
With 17.9 seconds left, Guhle tripped Jenner while defending a semi-breakaway.
Apparently, Chinakhov left the bench during the first period. The broadcast announced that he would not return due to an upper-body injury.
After 20 minutes, the Jackets had dominated every facet of the game except the actual score. In all situations, the Jackets won the expected goal battle 2.70-0.81 and the even-strength shot attempt battle 24-12.
2nd Period
The Jackets made it 0 for 3 on the power play to start the 2nd period.
The possession trends continued throughout the first half of the period. At the halfway point, shots were 27-12 Columbus.
Nylander was probably the best Columbus forward in the second period. With Chinakhov out, he found himself on the top line with Jenner and Gaudreau. He nearly scored when he beat Primeau cleanly but clanged the puck off the inside of the crossbar.
Tarasov was forced to make a few big saves, keeping the game from being completely out of reach.
The Jackets had the majority of the shots in the second period, but it was the Canadiens that had the majority of the high-danger chances, especially late in the period.
3rd Period
Josh Anderson went to the box for hooking less than two minutes into the period. The first unit stayed out for most of the power play, but predictably, the Jackets came up empty.
The Jackets continued to get shots on net. They also continued not scoring.
Gaunce went to the box for hooking, giving Montreal their second power play. For the first time in the game, special teams produced a positive result.
With 4:35 left, Meyer went off for high-sticking, essentially ending the game. Rough night for the good guys.
Final Thoughts
For the umpteenth season in a row, this team’s power play has been unable to score when it’s needed most. They had three opportunities in the first 22 minutes to cut into the Montreal lead and failed each time. They were 0 for 4 in this game and haven’t had a power play goal in six games. The next GM needs to prioritize figuring out the special teams problems.
With Marchenko out and Chinakhov missing most of the game, the lines saw significant changes. However, a lack of chances wasn’t the issue.
98 shot attempts. 41 shots. 0 goals. Is that bad?
At least Tarasov pitched a shutout.
Up Next
The Senators will be in Nationwide Arena to face the Blue Jackets on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET.