Columbus scored four goals in the first period for the first time in nearly four years and Joonas Korpisalo made clutch saves in the final period as the Blue Jackets downed the Montreal Canadiens 6-3 Sunday night.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| CANADIENS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
For the fifth straight game, the Blue Jackets gave up the first goal of the game. Nick Suzuki scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season just 1:19 into the game, the third time in those five games in which Columbus gave up a goal in the first two minutes.
It would be Montreal's only lead of the game, as Patrik Laine scored his seventh goal at the 3:51 mark to tie the game at 1-1. Less than five minutes later, Jack Roslovic would score the first of three Columbus goals in a span of 4:35 when he potted his seventh of the season to give the Blue Jackets a lead. Eric Robinson's short-handed goal made it 3-1, and Yegor Chinakhov made it a 4-1 game with 6:46 left in the first. The quick start would set the franchise mark for the fastest four goals to start a game.
Robinson's short-handed goal was his sixth of the season and it was a beauty. #CBJhttps://t.co/wRcMtm21ok
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 31, 2022
An otherwise quiet second period ended with a bang when Tyler Toffoli tied Suzuki with his ninth goal of the season in the final minute of the frame to make it a 4-2 game heading into the third. Things would get interesting when Montreal made it a one-goal game on a short-handed effort from Arrturi Lehkonen.
After a flurry in front of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo almost tied the game at 4-4, Columbus was able to clear the puck in front of their net and seconds later, Cole Sillinger got loose and regained the two-goal lead for the Blue Jackets at 9:58 of the third. Joining Laine and Roslovic, it was Sillinger's seventh goal of the season. Korpisalo, meanwhile, finished with 32 saves on 35 shots.
Reminder: Cole Sillinger wasn't old enough to buy a lottery ticket last year. #CBJ https://t.co/z6dpWePxql
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 31, 2022
Sillinger passed up a chance for a two-goal game in the final minutes, instead finding Laine to bury the empty-netter to give him his 8th goal and 19th point of the season in just 23 games.
Columbus finished with 36 shots on net, won 54% of draws, and added seven blocked shots.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets are right back at it when they face the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena on Monday night. In the team's first meeting of the season earlier in January, the Panthers won 9-2, giving Columbus their worst loss of the season.
