It's officially a little warm under the collar.
This was a big, stinky, smelly egg. In front of a sold-out crowd of 18,681 hoping to see the Blue Jackets snap a season-long losing streak.
Instead, they got the opposite. When Oliver Bjorkstrand scored to make it a 2-1 game early in the third period, there was life in the building. Energy. It felt like maybe they could get going.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| BLUES | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
The Blue Jackets' fleeting excitement lasted all of 34 seconds. Another puck leaked through Joonas Korpisalo on the shift following Bjorkstrand's goal, and St. Louis again staked itself to a two-goal lead. Lights out.
After P-L Dubois pulled them to 3-2 with 2:37 left, there was again a pulse for the Blue Jackets, but an empty-netter with 29.4 left sealed the deal for St. Louis.
Five straight losses and it's not getting any easier with a three-game road trip out west to see Colorado, Arizona and Vegas this coming week.
So, how did this unfold? In a word: slowly.
The Blues hadn't played a game since Jan. 23, but they were the team ready to play tonight – not a Blue Jackets team that had lost four straight and teetering on the edge of the playoff bar. They scored twice in the first period and made it tough on the Blue Jackets defensively, not giving them much in the middle of the ice or off the rush.
Injury Update
Boone Jenner remains out of the Blue Jackets lineup with an infection in his ankle, stemming from a laceration a couple of weeks ago.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets are off until Tuesday night when they take on the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center.
