The Blue Jackets beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 at SAP Center at San Jose on Saturday in the team's first game since they fired general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| SJ SHARKS | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
1st Period
Anthony Duclair opened the scoring for San Jose at 3:39 after Sean Kuraly fell while skating with the puck in the neutral zone, allowing Duclair to pick it up and score on a breakaway.
"THE DUKE IS LOOSE!"
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) February 18, 2024
Duclair puts Team Teal ahead pic.twitter.com/VdADcfPxwG
Johnny Gaudreau nearly tied the game on a breakaway at 8:59, but he hit the post. He had another breakaway at 11:24 but missed the net.
Zach Werenski tied the game with his second goal of the season at 15:16 when he fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle through traffic.
Zach Werenski gets the @BlueJacketsNHL on the board with his first goal since October!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/gVsjTLAFP5
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) February 18, 2024
Kirill Marchenko gave the Jackets the lead at 16:24 with his 16th tally of the year on a right-circle wrist shot on the rush.
Kirill Marchenko gives the @BlueJacketsNHL the lead, 2-1!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/yIaFJf2g9m
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) February 18, 2024
The Blue Jackets took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission and outshot the Sharks 16-8.
2nd Period
Dmitri Voronkov scored his 14th goal of the season to double Columbus' lead at 7:14, winning a battle in front of the net to score on the rebound.
Dmitry Voronkov extends the lead with his 6th goal in the last 10 games!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/5yQBrJJS4W
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) February 18, 2024
Duclair scored his second of the night at 7:33 on a two-on-one rush at 7:33 to cut the Blue Jackets' lead in half.
The Duke's second goal of the game puts the Sharks back in it pic.twitter.com/waqD93K8oj
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) February 18, 2024
Fabian Zetterlund tied the game on the power play with a left-circle one-timer at 15:29.
Zetterlund with the one-timer to tie it up pic.twitter.com/0UEQtNCUNj
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) February 18, 2024
The teams were tied at three after 40 minutes of play with Columbus outshooting San Jose 28-22.
3rd Period
Boone Jenner scored the game-winning goal at 19:47 on a mini breakaway thanks to a fantastic feed from Gaudreau.
Boone Jenner wins it for the @BlueJacketsNHL!!#CBJ pic.twitter.com/GCiiAGv0Z0
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) February 18, 2024
With the win, the Blue Jackets impvoed to 17-26-10.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 41-33 SJS
- Face-off %: CBJ 47.6-52.4 SJS
- Power play: CBJ 0/3-1/4 SJS
- Giveaways: CBJ 6-5 SJS
- Takeaways: CBJ 6-5 SJS
- Blocked shots: CBJ 14-15 SJS
- Hits: CBJ 15-22 SJS
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 2.39-2.60 SJS
- Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 64-55 SJS
- Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 34-30 SJS
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 26-20 SJS
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 7-10 SJS
Injury Update
- Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and will be away from the team indefinitely.
- Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets continue their road trip against the Kings in Los Angeles on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
They'll play against the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
