Following their recent struggles, tonight was the first night the Columbus Blue Jackets were at risk of being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention: A regulation loss coupled with a Montreal Canadiens win would do it. The CBJ were only in control of half of that equation, however, and that went quite well.
First Period
A slight change tonight to the top six, with Boone Jenner getting promoted to the top line, while Kent Johnson goes back down to Adam Fantilli’s wing. But it’d be the third line that struck first. Mattieu Olivier had a great individual effort, earning a turnover and winning the race to the puck, carrying it behind the night before finding Dmirti Voronkov in the high slot. It’s Big Boss’s first goal since the Stadium Series.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Dmitri Voronkov from Mattieu Olivier – 7:00 1st Period
Just 13 seconds after the goal, Fantilli got a delay of game penalty for sending the puck over the glass, everyone’s favorite penalty. The Jackets were able to kill it off. Aside from penalty trouble (which would be a problem throughout the game), Columbus did a great job causing turnovers and attacking Ottawa’s end. And just as the Senators were starting to push back, Justin Danforth harnessed his inner Rick Nash, dangling around a sprawling Nicolas Matinpalo and sniping it top shelf past Anton Forsberg.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Justin Danforth from Denton Mateychuk and Sean Kuraly – 16:38 1st Period
Late in the period, Cole Sillinger would have a doorfront chance. He was unable to convert, but was able to draw a powerplay that bled over into the next period.
Second Period
Ottawa successfully killed the rest of the penalty, and was able to start applying pressure as the middle frame continued. Things also got chippy as the middle frame continued, with Sean Kuraly getting into it with Matthew Highmore; both got sent off for roughing. Right after that 4-on-4 ended, Zach Werenski got nabbed for slashing. The Jackets were able to not only defend their net through the kill, but also had a couple chances on Forsberg.
Midway through the frame, Sillinger tried to deke around Claude Giroux in the neutral zone, but the veteran absolutely rocked him. This resulted in a great chance for Shane Pinto, who was robbed by Elvis Merzlikins. Great game by Elvis tonight overall, but the next Jackets penalty (Dante Fabbro for slashing) was too much, as Fabian Zetterlund got his first as a Sen to pull them within one.
SENATORS POWERPLAY GOAL – Fabian Zetterlund from Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot – 16:18 3rd Period
Looking to respond, the Jackets ramped up the pressure to end the period, and were rewarded for it. A point shot from Erik Gudbranson (playing his 800th NHL game tonight) was deflected by both Justin Danforth and Olivier, putting Columbus back up two before the break.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Mattieu Olivier from Justin Danforth and Erik Gudbranson – 19:38 2nd Period
Third Period
The Jackets went to the powerplay early after Tim Stutzle got written up for hooking Fabbro. It was their turn to score, with a delayed shot from Sean Monahan on a crossing pass that confused Forsberg and expanded the lead to three. That makes Monahanov the fourth Blue Jacket to hit 50 points, joining Kirill Marchenko, Werenski, and Kent Johnson.
BLUE JACKETS POWERPLAY GOAL – Sean Monahan from Kent Johnson and Zach Werenski – 2:37 3rd Period
Right after his goal, Monahan balanced the books by roughing up Ridly Greig. The Jackets killed this one too, ending the night 3-of-4 on the kill. One of the best players tonight was Fantilli, who had a couple plays where he just overpowered his opponent like he was still playing for the Wolverines. He was rewarded with a goal of his own to make it 5-1 on a breakaway, with James van Riemsdyk providing a distraction for at least one Senator in front of the CBJ bench.
BLUE JACKETS GOAL – Adam Fantilli from Kent Johnson and Ivan Provorov – 11:42 3rd Period
The Jackets continued playing aggressively, pestering Ottawa on offense and stifling any danger on defense. As they were playing out the string, Thomas Chabot was able to bury a rebound off a Drake Batherson breakaway…
SENATORS GOAL – Thomas Chabot from Drake Batherson and David Perron – 15:10 3rd Period
…but it did nothing to spoil the good mood in NWA. 5-2 final.
Out of Town Scores
Unfortunately, the Detroit Red Wings were unable to keep the Habs in check, as Montreal exploded for three goals in the third for a 4-1 win. There’s now literally no room for error: 2 points either from Blue Jackets losses or Montreal wins in the next five games will eliminate Columbus. The only other relevant update is that the New York Islanders and Nashville Predators are locked at 4-4 at the start of the third, at the time of writing.
Next up is a home clash versus the bottom dwelling Buffalo Sabres, who *checks notes*, are only three points behind Columbus, on a five-game win streak, and just beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Huh. Puck drops 7:00 Thursday.