Since last week’s wrap-up, the Blue Jackets have played four games, winning two and losing two. On Monday, October 28, they kicked off the week with a 6-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers. They continued their success into Wednesday when they secured a shutout with a 2-0 win against the New York Islanders. Their three-game points streak was stopped on Friday, November 1, when they lost 6-2 to the Winnipeg Jets. The next day, they would get a similar result with a 7-2 loss to the Washington Capitals.
The silver lining around the losses is that forward Dmitri Voronkov returned to action in his season debut against the Jets. Voronkov had been injured in a preseason game but is back and able to play. Sean Monahan also had a shining moment in the loss against Winnipeg, he scored his 250th career goal. He also moved closer to another milestone when he got his 299th assist in the Jackets’ loss to the Capitals.
CBJ vs EDM
I wrote a detailed recap of this game linked here, but here are a few highlights and important moments.
Just 37 seconds into the game, Oiler’s captain, Connor McDavid, went down near the boards and left the game with an apparent ankle injury. After evaluation, Edmonton announced he would be out for two to three weeks.
The Blue Jackets capitalized early in the game, scoring just over two minutes into the first period. The goals kept coming for the Jackets until the period ended 3-0. They were able to notch another in the second period, and two more in the third. The Oilers narrowly avoided getting shut out when Mattias Ekholm scored with 27 seconds left in the game.
Five different Blue Jackets players scored goals that night, Sean Monahan, Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, Mathieu Olivier, and Mikael Pyythia. Monahan scored twice, Sillinger had a three-point night, and Pyythia’s goal was his first in the NHL.
Although Edmonton lost a star forward, the defense was in disrepair, and special teams only scored in one of six powerplays. The Blue Jackets took advantage early, and their penalty kill was going strong. Elvis Merzlikins was a big part of the win, blocking 31 of 32 shots.
CBJ vs NYI
The New York Islanders arrived in Columbus after losing to the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 the previous night. Despite the long travel and the back-to-back game, the Islanders matched the Blue Jackets’ energy shot for shot. Both teams finished with 26 shots goal. The action was constant, with few stoppages and only one penalty in the game.
It appeared that Damon Severson scored a goal with 1:30 left in the first period. After the goal, the referees gathered, and it was determined that Ivan Provorov interfered with Islander’s goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, so the goal did not count.
Both teams made great attempts in the second period, but neither scored. With six minutes remaining in the second, forward Justin Danforth was given a two-minute penalty for interference against Islander’s Adam Pelech. The Blue Jackets killed off the penalty, and the action continued.
The first goal happened around six minutes into the third period. Seemingly destined for a goal, Severson received the puck in the offensive zone and scored after shooting from a tight angle in the right corner. The Islanders eventually pulled their goaltender to put a sixth skater, but to no avail. With two minutes left, Justin Danforth scored on an empty net to make the final score 2-0.
The Blue Jackets showed patience and control in this game. After giving up six powerplays in the previous game, they only gave up one against New York. A big part of their success came from having 20 blocked shots by skaters and Elvis Merzlikins stopping all 26 shots on goal to secure the shutout.
CBJ vs WPG
The Winnipeg Jets have had an unbelievable start to their season. They started the year with an eight-game win streak and, after winning against Columbus, moved to 10-1, leading the NHL with 20 points.
Nikolaj Ehlers started the scoring for Winnipeg five minutes into the first period. Sean Kuraly answered for the Blue Jackets six minutes later to tie the game 1-1. Ehlers again found the back of the net to finish the period with the Jets leading 2-1.
Mason Appleton opened the scoring around two minutes into the second period increasing the lead 3-1. Columbus fought back hard, and Sean Monahan scored with assists from Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko. Before the period ended, Ehlers completed a hattrick to put Winnipeg up 4-2.
The Jets weren’t done yet, as both Josh Morrisey and Gabriel Vilardi scored in the third period to win the game 6-2.
The Blue Jackets defense seemed to be lagging all night. Elvis Merzlikins tried to keep them in the game with 38 saves, but the 44-shot onslaught was too much, and the Jackets’ 22 shots on goal was not enough.
CBJ @ WSH
The Blue Jackets hit the road for their first of four meetings with the Washington Capitals. The Capitals have also had a hot start to their season. They started the season with a five-game winning streak and came into Saturday’s game 7-2, having won their last two games. The Blue Jackets were coming off a tough loss the night before.
The Capitals wasted no time when Aliaksei Protas scored a minute into the first period. Not even a full minute later, Connor McMichael scored another for Washington, putting them up 2-0. Andrew Mangiapane was next to score and increase the lead to 3-0. NHL legend Alex Ovechkin didn’t want to feel left out, and he, too, scored a goal just under 15 minutes into the period. About 20 seconds later, Nic Dowd finished scoring for the period, ending it with Washington leading by 5-0.
After an abysmal first period, the Blue Jackets tried to start on the right foot when Damon Severson scored just under a minute into the second. McMichael answered back for the Caps a few minutes later to make it 6-1. The Blue Jackets weren’t done and Kevin Labanc notched his first goal of the season to finish the period 6-2.
In the third period, Columbus was determined not to let in any more goals, as was Washington. The Blue Jackets held them off until the final two minutes when Dylan Strome finished the scoring, and the game ended 7-2.
Columbus seemed to get flustered early and had a hard time regaining their footing. They held the Capitals to 22 shots on goal while having 36 shots of their own, 20 of those were in the second period. While they kept their number of penalties low, the Blue Jackets couldn’t capitalize on any of their three powerplays.
The Blue Jackets will need to regain their confidence after two hard losses and be ready for their next road game on Tuesday, November 5, against the San Jose Sharks.
CBJ beats Oilers 6-1 and CBJ beats Islanders 2-0, Mikael Pyyhtia scores his first NHL Goal, etc… – Brew Jackets
- CBJ beats Oilers 6-1 and CBJ beats Islanders 2-0, Mikael Pyyhtia scores his first NHL Goal, etc…
- CBJ beats Buffalo 6-4 and CBJ beats Toronto 6-2, New Donkey Hat winners, And so much more.
- The Blue Jackets Honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at Home Opener
- Blue Jackets get Kevin Lebanc and Zach Aston-Reese, CBJ at OSU Game, Roster Announced, etc…
- Adam Fantilli Preseason Hat Trick, Salary Cap News, And So Much More.
