Another bad start with a close finish.
In the final stop during their California trip, the Columbus Blue Jackets wanted to leave SAP Center in San Jose with a victory on Tuesday night.
To do so, the Blue Jackets would have to get along without two of their best players in Patrik Laine and Zach Werenski, both considered day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Laine missed his second straight game while Werenski left Sunday's loss against the Anaheim Ducks after just 1:23.
Nick Blankenburg has played well in his short sample in the NHL and as a result of Werenski being out of the lineup, played on the first defensive pairing alongside Vladislav Gavikov. The other rookie we've heard a lot about, Kent Johnson, was on the first line alongside Jack Roslovic and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
This game featured a few multi-goal performances.
Scott Reedy scored two first period goals and Rudolfs Balcers also scored in the opening frame. Kaapo Kahkonen made 22 saves in the Sharks' 3-2 win. It's his first win as a member of the Sharks since being acquired by the Minnesota Wild at the NHL trade deadline.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| SHARKS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Roslovic scored two third period goals for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 25 shots as he returned to the net after a rare night off from Sunday.
Entering play, the Blue Jackets came in third in the league with a 95.5% penalty kill rate, having killed off 21 of their last 22 penalties since Apr. 3. The Sharks came in second over that span (95.7%).
This stat ended up being important.
In the first period at 4:39, Reedy found the rare power play conversion against the Jackets' PK of late, slamming a rebound from the slot to give the Sharks the early 1-0 lead. It was his fourth of the season. Logan Couture and Noah Gregor picked up the assists.
Scott Reedy puts home Gregor's rebound to put the Sharks on the board on the power play!#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/Gefp2CEviW
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) April 20, 2022
At 8:45 it was Latvian on Latvian as Balcers beat Merzlikins, adding to the Sharks' lead for his 11th of the season to make it 2-0. Thomas Bordeleau picked up his second assist in his second NHL game. Bordeleau played alongside Blankenburg and Johnson at Michigan.
On the scoring sequence, Balcers took the puck on a nifty behind the net pass from Bordeleau, who stopped and made a 180 on the passing play. Balcers, not minding the Blue Jackets' traffic all around him, sent home a wrister near the slot.
Thomas Bordeleau (@Thomasbord71) with a nice for Rudolfs Balcers. pic.twitter.com/NpcXlinmXU
— NHL (@NHL) April 20, 2022
The Blue Jackets thought they had a first period goal by Boqvist at 15:41, however, the Sharks reviewed for offsides and won the challenge to keep the score at 2-0.
At 18:14, Reedy swatted the puck out of the air and into the net for his second of the period and fifth of the year, with Alexander Chmelevski grabbing the assist.
Scott Reedy again! Second goal of the period for Reedy, baseball swinging to hit the loose puck out of mid air and into the net!#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/B1NqH8P1T4
— Hockey Daily 365 (@HockeyDaily365) April 20, 2022
After a rather uneventful second period, the Blue Jackets struck with seven seconds remaining on their third power play in the early going of the third period at 1:32. Roslovic stayed hot with his 18th goal and Kent Johnson picked up his first career NHL point on the assist. Justin Danforth also picked up the assist.
Blue Jackets break the shutout and are on the board. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/FiRHAZl1yC
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 20, 2022
Then at 13:33, who other than Roslovic scored his second of the period and 19th of the season to get the Blue Jackets within one. Voracek picked up his team-leading 51st assist and Justin Bean also assisted.
Roslovic stays hot with two more goals. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/yUOJ6ZW7Z6
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 20, 2022
Roslovic has nine points over his last five games (seven goals, two assists).
Though the Blue Jackets fought hard in the third period, they couldn’t overcome another first period hole as they drop their third straight. The win for the Sharks snapped a 10-game losing streak.
- Shots: 28-24 Sharks
- Hits: 36-29 Blue Jackets
- Faceoff Wins: 25-20 Sharks
- Blocked Shots: 17-14 Sharks
- Power Play: Blue Jackets 1-for-3, Sharks 1-for-2
- Jonathan Dahlen and Timo Meier co-led the game with five shots on goal
- Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the game with six blocked shots; Four Blue Jackets each had two
- Cole Sillinger led the game with eight hits
- Gavrikov, playing in his 199th career NHL game, led the Blue Jackets in ice-time (24:12); Brent Burns led the game (27:40)
- The Blue Jackets have allowed 90 goals in the first period this season, two fewer than the Montreal Canadiens for last in the league: Eight allowed in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings (two), Ducks (three), Sharks (three)
- For the first time since moving to the Eastern Conference in 2013-14, the Blue Jackets failed to record at least one win or point in the three-game series during the California trip
Home Again
The Blue Jackets (35-36-6, 76 points) return home to play the Ottawa Senators (28-41-7, 63 points) on Friday from Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets are 1-1-0 against the Senators this season. Puck drop is at 7:00 pm ET. The Senators defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in a shootout from Rogers Arena.
