1st Period
The Blue Jackets tried to set the tone early in the first by coming out of the gate fast and aggressively. A goal from Ivan Provorov got things started less than 2 minutes into the game. This wasn’t answered until almost 9 minutes into the period when Seattle’s Jordan Eberle was able to slide one in past Jackets’ goaltender Daniil Tarasov. Not long after that Birthday-Boy Provorov got a second goal to make the score 2-1 Columbus, becoming the first Blue Jacket to record two goals on their birthday! The last goal of the period was scored by Jared McCann with a pass from former Blue Jacket Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Although the Jackets couldn’t capitalize on their one powerplay, overall, I thought the Blue Jackets looked like a well-oiled machine this period. There were a few hiccups, but their passing seemed to have improved from the last game against the Winnipeg Jets. There were only two giveaways by Columbus in this 1st period.
2nd Period
Starting the 2nd period, the Blue Jackets had a bit of a hard time connecting passes and getting through the neutral zone. A break came with Johnny Gaudreau was able to draw a holding penalty against Seattle’s Will Borgen. The Kraken also received a “too many men on the ice” penalty for the Jackets to gain a 5-on-3 advantage. This time, Columbus was able to take advantage of the powerplay with a goal from Kirill Marchenko to score 3-2 Jackets. This broke Marchenko’s streak of 6 games with no goals. Five minutes later, Kraken’s Tye Kartye scored with a tipped puck shot from the point.
Twelve minutes into the 2nd period, a boarding call would be assessed to Blue Jackets’ Cole Sillinger for a hit on Matty Beniers. Seattle’s Vince Dunn skated in to defend the young Beniers. Sillinger did not get a chance to throw a punch before Dunn pulled him to the ground. Both received 5 for fighting. The Kraken would not be able to capitalize on the powerplay but were able to do so a few minutes later with a goal from Oliver Bjorkstrand, making the score 4-3 Seattle.
3rd Period
The 3rd period started hot with a lot of pushing and shoving going on from both teams around the Blue Jackets’ netminder. After a turnover, Seattle’s Jared McCann was gifted a clear shot on Tarasov. He would take full advantage and land a wrist shot 6:17 into the period for his second goal of the game, making the score 5-3 Seattle. Two minutes later, Kraken’s Brian Dumoulin would also score, making it 6-3.
The Blue Jackets were able to claw back one more goal, with Emil Bemstrom getting one in the back of the net with assists from Kent Johnson and Andrew Peeke. The final goal of the game was scored by Eeli Tolvanen in an empty net to finish it off 7-4 for Seattle’s 9th win in a row, setting a new franchise win streak record.
Thoughts and Opinions
The Jackets looked determined but came up short on some passes during key chances. While talented, Columbus is a very young team, and at times, that can show in the small mistakes that snowball into something worse. As has been the case in many games this season, the Jackets start with a strong first period and end up struggling by the third period.
As I mentioned in my last recap, it’s hard to say that there’s one particular reason behind the failure of Columbus. Tonight, it looked like a mix of failed passes, being out of position on defense, and, in the end, simply running out of steam. Hopefully, the Jackets will be able to remedy some of these issues in the future.
There were two other notable events during this game. Kirill Marchenko tied Blue Jackets legend Rick Nash for the franchise record of 35 goals in their first 100 games with the team. Also, with an assist on that goal, Johnny Gaudreau notched his 100th point since he joined Columbus.
The Columbus Blue Jackets play at home again on Monday, January 15, at 1:00 pm EST against the Vancouver Canucks, who are 29-11-3.
Click here to see the full game gallery from ITR Photographer Héctor Urcia.
