Canadiens Chase Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins Early In First Period, Beat Blue Jackets 3-0

By Coby Maeir on March 12, 2024 at 9:39p

Behind three goals in the first 5:48 of the game, the Canadiens beat the Blue Jackets 3-0 at Centre Bell in Montreal on Tuesday. 

  1 2 3 F
BLUE JACKETS 0 0 0 0
MTL CANADIENS 3 0 0 3

1st Period

Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring at 0:21 with a nifty top-shelf shot from the doorstep to beat Elvis Merzlikins.

Juraj Slafkovsky's right-circle one-timer on the power play doubled Montreal's lead at 3:15.

Joshua Roy gave the Canadiens a three-goal lead at 5:48 with a deflection off Arber Xhekaj's slapshot from the point. After the goal, Daniil Tarasov replaced Merzlikins, who allowed three goals on four shots. 

Montreal led Columbus 3-0 after 20 minutes while the Blue Jackets took a 22-8 advantage in shots on goal into the second period. 

2nd Period

Boone Jenner had a great chance to put the Blue Jackets on the board to start the period but he was unable to get a shot away. 

Tarasov made a key save at 15:25 when he robbed Alex Newhook from the doorstep to keep the Columbus deficit at three. 

3rd Period

Carson Meyer had a great chance at 4:46 after shooting the puck to himself off the end boards before firing a shot from the left slot on Cayden Primeau, who made the save. 

Adam Boqvist hit the crossbar with a left-point wrist shot at 5:19 in another near Blue Jackets goal.

With the 3-0 loss, the Blue Jackets are now 22-33-10. 

Stats

  • Shots on Goal: CBJ 41-23 MTL
  • Faceoff %: CBJ 53.7-46.3 MTL
  • Power play: CBJ 0/4-1/3 MTL
  • Takeaways: CBJ 11-17 MTL
  • Giveaways: CBJ 5-6 MTL
  • Blocked shots: CBJ 7-32 MTL
  • Hits: CBJ 16-18 MTL
  • 5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
    • Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 2.61-2.33 MTL
    • Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 71-38 MTL
    • Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 27-19 MTL
    • Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 31-18 MTL
    • High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 11-11 MTL

Injury Update

  • Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
  • Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks. 
  • Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He underwent successful surgery on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery in six months.
  • Justin Danforth suffered a concussion on Thursday and missed his second consecutive game on Tuesday. There is no timetable for his return.
  • Kirill Marchenko missed the game with an illness.
  • Yegor Chinakhov left the game in the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return. 

Next Up

The Jackets return to Columbus to take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.

The club continues its homestand on Saturday when they host the San Jose Sharks at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.