It appears the Columbus Blue Jackets are starting to gel at just the right time.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Blue Jackets | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
The team rode a tidal wave of second period offense and some overtime heroics to victory tonight, and grabbed a third straight win with a 5-4 overtime decision over the Colorado Avalanche.
This was a game the Blue Jackets controlled for a majority of the time, but a poor start and a poor third period finish nearly resulted in the loss of a point. In the end though, two is two. They led the shot column 44-27.
A firestorm of action opened up just under seven minutes into the game. It began when Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie dangled down below the goal line and fired a shot past Joonas Korpisalo, with the aid of some self-inflicted goaltender interference. After the goal was upheld following a challenge, it took 12 seconds for the Avalanche to take advantage of a Blue Jackets defensive zone turnover and punch another one in.
The Blue Jackets didn’t stay down for long.
42 seconds after the Avalanche goal, two Colorado players collided with each other in the defensive zone, allowing Alexander Wennberg to soar in and collect the puck. He dumped said puck to Boone Jenner, who fired a perfect top-shelf right corner shot past Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The score held at 2-1 until the first period concluded.
Period two belonged entirely to the Blue Jackets, and Thomas Vanek in particular. One of the trade deadline acquisitions for Columbus bookended a three-goal Blue Jackets second with a pair of goals, his first two since arriving in town. Those were sandwiched around a masterfully cycled and finished one-timer power play goal by Zack Werenski.
Werenski wires it past Varlamov. His 14th of the season is very timely.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/u8z8FtH1Lc
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 9, 2018
It wasn’t just the offense in the second 20 minutes either. Korpisalo made his fair share of saves.
Joonas Korpisalo making plays left and right. What a save.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/gatwffKIbX
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 9, 2018
The Avalanche failed to get a shot on goal against the Blue Jackets penalty kill the first two times they were a man up, but the final penalty proved costly for the home squad. With 11 seconds to go on the kill, Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog fired home a puck he recieved from Mikko Rantanen to make it a one goal game at 4-3.
Carl Soderberg punched in another less than three minutes later, and just like that the game was tied. It stayed that way until the end of regulation
But Seth Jones was able to punch home a pass from Artemi Panarin a minute into the extra period and make it two points instead of one for the Blue Jackets tonight. Final score: 5-4.
Injury Update
Josh Anderson remains sidelined with a knee injury. Markus Nutivaara is still on the injured reserve list with an upper-body injury, and there is no timetable for his recovery. Dean Kukan also has an upper-body injury and is expected to remain out a few more weeks.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets play their third consecutive home game tomorrow against the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drops at 7 p.m. on FOX Sports Ohio.
