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Recap: Duck Hunt

Posted on by MrSwift13

The very beaten up Anaheim Ducks visited the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. Jared Boll, Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, and Rickard Rakell all missed the game last night with various ailments. Meanwhile, Adam Henrique was acquired to fill out the forward depth and made his debut for his new team.

For Columbus, Ryan Murray remained out of the lineup while Scott Harrington took his place in the lineup. Ahead of the Washington contest on Saturday night, Joonas Korpisalo got the start on home ice. Gabriel Carlsson and Markus Hannikainen have been recalled from Cleveland for depth purposes, but neither suited up for the team. Columbus looked for their fifth straight home win. Could they find it?

First Period

The Blue Jackets opened the game on the front foot, with Artemi Panarin forcing John Gibson to make a save in the first minute of the game. At the 1:59 mark, Columbus went to the penalty kill as Scott Harrington went off for boarding Antoine Vermette. The penalty kill was strong, however, and held Anaheim without a shot on net for the entirety of the kill.

After several minutes of sustained pressure for Columbus, Brandon Dubinsky fired a shot from the right circle that found the back of the net. It deflected off of Josh Anderson and John Gibson into the back of the net at 7:02.

Columbus goal: Anderson from Dubinsky and Panarin, 7:02

Columbus goal: A late scoring change gave the goal back to Brandon Dubinsky. Dubinsky from Panarin, 7:02.

After the goal, Jenner led a rush up ice but his shot was turned aside by Gibson. Against the run of play, Cam Fowler was able to tie it. As Anaheim crashed the net, Fowler held up at the right circle and fired the puck past a screened Korpisalo who never saw the puck until it was already behind him.

Anaheim goal: Fowler from Grant and Rasmussen, 9:04

Despite the Jackets outshooting the Ducks by a margin of 8-4, the Ducks had managed to hang around through the first half of the period. After some end to end action, the Ducks would go on the penalty kill as Corey Perry went off for hooking, sending the league’s worst power play onto the ice at 12:40. The first unit never once was able to set up possession in the offensive zone, losing a faceoff, turning the puck over, and getting called for offside. The second unit was able to establish offensive zone possession, but never managed to register a shot. Abysmal power play, per usual.

Immediately after that penalty was killed, the Blue Jackets went back to the man advantage. Chris Wagner went off at 15:13 for roughing Pierre-Luc Dubois. The best chance early in the power play came from Chris Cogliano on a two on one while shorthanded, so that wasn’t great. Again, another dismal effort from the first unit. Immediately after taking the ice, the second unit took an offside. There are no words for how bad the power play looked. Anaheim registered more shots on the second power play than Columbus did.

Alex Wennberg took a double minor for high sticking at 19:26 after kicking the puck out of the offensive zone. Not a great sequence from him. After 20 minutes, the teams were tied 1-1. Columbus led on the shot chart 10-5. Dumb plays and a blacked out power play kept Anaheim in this one despite the offensive zone advantage.

Second Period

Columbus opened the second period on the kill, and quickly managed to draw Chris Wagner into a tripping penalty at 0:35. With two full minutes of four on four hockey, the Blue Jackets were able to control a majority of the two minutes before a rush ensued after Jack Johnson had stepped up into the play. Kevin Roy was able to take a breakaway pass from Adam Henrique and score at 2:32.

Anaheim goal: Roy from Henrique at 2:32

The Blue Jackets were able to kill the final 48 seconds of Wennberg’s double minor. Despite dominating at 5 on 5, the Jackets found themselves trailing due to their horrendous special teams play. At 5:45, the Blue Jackets went back on the power play as Hampus Lindholm went off for interference against Brandon Dubinsky. Wennberg made his return to the power play. Immediately, Werenski fell on the power play and allowed Wagner to walk in alone against Korpisalo, but his shot was turned aside. The Seth Jones unit again failed to find any zone time at all. The team was again unable to find any success in even generating a shot, wasting yet another chance to claw back into the game.

(author’s note: I can’t break down power plays any more, so I’m just going to note infractions and when Anaheim goes back to even strength because I just can’t)

Hey, at 9:11, Kevin Bieksa went off for high sticking Josh Anderson. HOLY SHIT A POWER PLAY GOAL. After a zone entry with speed by the standard first line of PLD, Dubois, and Anderson where they actually carried the puck below the net (HEY TRY MORE OF THIS IN THE FUTURE, IT LEFT THE OPPOSING TEAM SCRAMBLING), Artemi Panarin (WHO WAS LEFT ALL ALONE) took a feed from below the net and Artemi Panarin buried his sixth of the season.

Columbus goal: Panarin from Dubois and Dubinsky, 10:54.

That was the first goal in 15 power play tries for Columbus. Columbus pushed hard looking for the go ahead goal after the power play goal, but Gibson was able to turn the efforts aside. As Anaheim led a rush up ice, David Savard went to the ice to block two different cross-crease passes, a solid defensive play by him.

Columbus continued to dominate even strength play into the final minutes of the period. With seconds to go in the period, Nick Foligno drew a penalty as he got tripped behind the net by Gibson. Gibson took his helmet off, taking exception to getting tangled up and grabbed Foligno around the neck, and all hell broke loose. Anaheim took two penalties (tripping to Gibson, roughing to Manson) and one penalty to Foligno for roughing. The end result, Columbus would open the third with 1:53 of power play time.

After 40 minutes, the teams were tied 2-2 and Columbus led 20-10 in shots.

Third Period

After the sheer craziness to end the second, the CBJ opened the third by icing the puck. Despite the Blue Jackets returning to a more tradition 3 forward, 2 defensemen setup, the Jackets were unable to find success on another power play. Anaheim was able to get a shot through across the blue paint, but it didn’t find the net. Korpisalo played the puck at 4:15 and turned it over to Roy, but was able to get his stick down to prevent a goal in a gaping net. After a Seth Jones shot was gloved, Francois Beauchemin pushed Anderson and a scrum ensued, but came to nothing.

At 6:36, Kevin Bieksa took a run at Nick Foligno behind the Anaheim net, likely a result of the scrum to end the second period. Bieksa went to the box for roughing, and probably should have been ejected because he’s a trash goon who shouldn’t be in the league if he’s going to go head hunting like that. On the ensuing power play, a puck rolled off a stick but Zach Werenski broke up the Anaheim breakaway. While up a man, Anaheim fired the puck out of the ice and went down another man for delay of game as Logan Shaw sat. The Ducks were able to kill the 2 man advantage. Despite the extended advantage, Columbus was AGAIN unable to take advantage. The special teams were terrible. T E R R I B L E

Anaheim pushed hard after the kills, and Korpisalo stood tall to deny several shots by Corey Perry and keep the score knotted at two. On the next shift, Tyler Motte threw a shot that Jenner deflected and Gibson was able to snag at the last second.

After a long shift in the offensive zone, the first line got it done again. Josh Anderson was able to control a loose puck after a feed from Artemi Panarin at 15:06 and buried it on the short side.

Columbus goal: Anderson from Panarin and Dubois, 15:06

After the goal, an Anaheim rush led to Corey Perry taking a run at Korpisalo, which the Jackets and crowd took exception to. Anaheim, as expected, pushed hard but a strong effort from Lukas Sedlak saw the team clear the zone after a long shift.

With 2:31 to go, Jackets were called for a penalty as Cam Atkinson went to the box for delay of game. It bounced down the tunnel. which counted as a penalty somehow. With two minutes to go, the Ducks pulled Gibson. Werenski sent a shot the length of the ice that just missed the empty net.

With 28.8 seconds to go, the Jackets iced the game with a Nick Foligno empty net goal.

Columbus goal: Foligno from Dubinsky and Johnson, 19:31

Final

Columbus Blue Jackets 4 Anaheim Ducks 2

Three Stars

Third: Pierre-Luc Dubois
Second: Artemi Panarin
First: Josh Anderson

Final Thoughts

9-18-77 is our best line and it’s not even close.

Finding a power play goal was nice, but that unit was horrific for most of the night. Broken record, etc.

Markus Nutivaara is developing confidence by the game. It’s evident in his game, and it’s great to see.

Panarin played a great game for the Jackets tonight. He’s so crazy talented.

Who knew noted sniper Josh Anderson would kill it like this this season? His secret? “Shoot the puck.”

God, a win over a chippy Ducks team feels great. I wanted that one BAD.

Talking Points