1st Period:
After an emotional pre-game ceremony and puck drop featuring US Army veteran Josh Sommers, the Blue Jackets put their foot down hard against Ben Bishop and the Dallas Stars, breaking through when Jordan Schroeder came in to make Bishop pay for leaving the crease.
schroeds cleaning up pic.twitter.com/96djDI6KYI
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 19, 2018
No other goals in this period, though the Jackets would have to spend the last 1:30 on the PK, and the home team would be up 1-0 at the end of the frame.
Second Period:
Joonas Korpisalo put up some good work, but most of this period was spent in back and forth races, with the Stars heavily outshooting a Columbus team that seemed happy to just lean on their goaltender while nursing the one goal lead.
Perhaps…too dangerously?
Alternate angle…#CBJ pic.twitter.com/KoDaZgX0Vj
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 19, 2018
Nah.
Third Period:
Matching penalties to Artemi Panarin and Dillon Heatherington would give us 4 on 4 hockey to start the period, but neither team would find the back of the net despite the extra room on the ice.
Dallas would appear to score after Alexander Radulov crashed the net, but Torts would challenge for goaltender interference and the War Room would agree, wiping the goal away.
John Tortorella is: Correct!
Refs concur, overturn the goal. Here’s the interference. Textbook.#CBJ up 1-0 once again. pic.twitter.com/elF1fP0zm4
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 19, 2018
Things were still 1-0 late into the period when the Blue Jackets got caught with too many men after a sloppy attempt at a line change, and the Stars gave it a good try, but still couldn’t beat Korpi and the PK.
Dallas would pull Bishop for the extra attacker, there would be a scramble in front of the net, and at 2:05…
WHO SAID IT?!
stars make it a 1-1 game
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 19, 2018
Welp.
Alexander Wennberg had the game on his stick with less than thirty seconds left, but….
This is unfair. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/MnCviZz0BS
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 19, 2018
Once again: Welp.
Overtime:
And then it got interesting.
After getting away with more than a few little indiscretions, Alexander Radulov would get whistled for closing his hand on the puck, handing the Jackets a 4 on 3 power play for a significant chunk of OT, but despite some good looks Columbus couldn’t get the puck on the net, registering just one shot.
Worse, in the final minute Josh Anderson would be called for a hook, likely saving the goal but putting the team in a vulnerable position that (remarkably) Dallas would not be able to exploit.
So if WE didn’t score, and THEY didn’t score, that means it’s time for everyone’s least favorite thing in the NHL.
Shootout:
Jussi Jokinen would take his first attempt as a Blue Jacket but get denied by Bishop, and Korpisalo would turn aside Jason Spezza.
Artemi Panarin sped up, slowed down, sped up, and snapped a quick backhand to deliver once again, and Radulov would be denied for just the second time this season.
TOPSHELF 🍞 pic.twitter.com/9MkFxrkrZb
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 19, 2018
Who got the call? Who had the chance to be a hero?
Alexander Wennberg…and it didn’t go. 🙁
That meant Korpisalo had to shut down Tyler Seguin, and He. Did. That.
Korpisalo hangs on, and the Blue Jackets would take the 2-1 lead as a result!