Blue Jackets Blow Three-Goal Third-Period Lead, Lose 4-3 In Overtime to Kings

By Coby Maeir on December 5, 2023 at 9:53 pm
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins (90) covers a loose puck as Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) looks for the rebound during the second period at Nationwide Arena.
Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
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Despite leading 3-0 after two periods, the Blue Jackets conceded three third-period goals and lost 4-3 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena.

  1 2 3 F/OT
BLUE JACKETS 1 2 0 3
LA KINGS 0 0 3 4

1st Period

Kirill Marchenko opened the scoring on the power play at 9:07 when Adam Boqvist found him in the left circle before he turned around and fired a top-shelf wrist shot past Pheonix Copley.

Arthur Kaliyev had a golden opportunity to tie the game at 11:07 after Elvis Merzlikins came way too far out of his net to play the puck but Kaliyev missed the wide-open net from 53 feet away. 

Justin Danforth nearly doubled Columbus' lead at 19:04 when he received a low-high pass from below the goal line, but was denied by Copley from the right doorstep.

The Blue Jackets led 1-0 after the first period with both clubs registering nine shots on goal.

2nd Period

After having a goal called back in the first period, Johnny Gaudreau doubled the Blue Jackets' lead on a mini breakaway from the left wing set up by a poke check by Zach Werenski at 5:24.

The Blue Jackets extended their lead when Kent Johnson tied up Trevor Lewis against the boards below the goal line, allowing Adam Fantilli to pick up the puck and find David Jiricek at the point where his shot was blocked and picked up by Mathieu Olivier who scored from the right slot at 13:03.

The Blue Jackets led 3-0 after two periods while trailing 23-22 in shots on goal.

3rd Period

Phillip Danault put the Kings on the board at 0:23 when he deflected Matt Roy's right-point shot past Merzlikins.

Danault scored again, this time at a net-mouth scramble at 5:08.

Arthur Kaliyev tied the game at 6:38 when his shot from the goal line found the net with Merzlikins out of position.

Gaudreau had a chance to win the game at 19:43 when receiving a low-high pass from Boone Jenner but Copley made the save.

The teams were tied at three after regulation with the Kings ahead 38-29 in shots on goal.

Overtime 

Drew Doughty ended the game at 0:33 with a left-circle blast to win it for the Kings.

With the loss, the Blue Jackets fell to 8-14-5.

Stats

  • Shots on Goal: LAK 39-29 CBJ
  • Face-off %: LAK 50.9-49.1 CBJ
  • Power play: LAK 0/2-1/1 CBJ
  • Giveaways: LAK 4-3 CBJ
  • Takeaways: LAK 2-8 CBJ
  • Blocked shots: LAK 17-12 CBJ
  • Hits: LAK 13-15 CBJ
  • 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
    • Expected Goals (xG): LAK 3.78-2.32 CBJ
    • Shot Attempts (CF): LAK 67-53 CBJ
    • Shots on Goal (SF): LAK 34-25 CBJ
    • Scoring Chances (SCF): LAK 29-26 CBJ
    • High-Danger Chances (HDCF): LAK 15-11 CBJ

Injury Update

Patrik Laine and Erik Gudbranson missed tonight's game with illnesses. Damon Severson was placed on IR retroactive to Nov. 19 and will miss approximately six weeks with an oblique injury. Jack Roslovic has been on IR since Nov. 13 with a fractured ankle that will sideline him for four to six weeks. Cole Sillinger is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. 

Next Up

The Blue Jackets will travel to New York to take on the Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

The club will return home to take on the St. Louis Blues on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio. 

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