Let's be honest. This was a must-win game for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| DEVILS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
A loss meant a near insurmountable nine-point gap to the New Jersey Devils with 22 games left in the season. It meant losses in 10 of the last 12 games at a point in the season where momentum is everything. It meant remaining behind the New York Islanders for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Who else to put this team on his back and deliver the win than Sergei Bobrovsky?
For once, the Blue Jackets were the winning team despite being severely outshot in a game (a ridiculous 20-5 combined in periods two and three), and it wasn't just the ludicrous percentage of saves the netminder made, stopping 30 of 31. It was the way in which he made them. Odd angles, rebound attempts, nets thought to be open, nothing was out of his reach.
They are now 7-1-0 against the New Jersey Devils over the last two seasons.
Net traffic was at peak volume in the first period, resulting in a number of quality looks for the Blue Jackets in the first 20 minutes. One got through 5:19 in when Zach Werenski tracked down a puck in the offensive zone and fired a wrist shot off the post. Boone Jenner skated in behind and punched in the rebound.
In other news, the penalty kill was quite effective after the first Blue Jackets penalty towards the end of period No. 1. In total, the kill was 2-for-2 and didn't allow a shot on the second Devils power play.
Taylor Hall (who else?) responded with his 25th goal of the season 1:34 into the second, extending his point streak to 19 games – the longest such streak in Devils history.
In general, the second period was like night and day from the first for the Blue Jackets, in a bad way. If it hadn’t been for a few timely Bobrovsky saves and blocks by other players, the score would not have been 2-1 Columbus entering the third. Turnovers in the defensive zone were a main source of frustration. The Devils finished with an 11-2 shots advantage in the frame.
Speaking of 2-1, however, Scott Harrington notched just his second goal of the season on a blistering one-timer off a filthy Artemi Panarin assist.
Two goals this season for Scott Harrington, both against these New Jersey Devils. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/VLSh3LeOy1
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 21, 2018
It’s getting sickeningly redundant to say at this point, but the power play was even worse than typical tonight for a team already ranking dead last in the NHL. Three man advantages. The Blue Jackets totaled one (1) shot.
Another period dominated, in truth, by the Devils was the third. The advantage was 9-3 in shots, and a good bit of those nine were legitimate opportunities in front of Bob. But somehow the Blue Jackets found a way to hold on.
Injury Update
Ryan Murray played his first game since November tonight, spending 18:20 on the ice and blocking a shot. Nick Foligno was out and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a lower body injury. Dean Kukan was also out with an upper body injury and is expected to miss at least a month. Markus Nutivaara remained out for undisclosed reasons.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets now head to Philadelphia to play the Flyers Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on Fox Sports Ohio.
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