Another crushing result.
The Columbus Blue Jackets met up with the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday night, the first of a home-and-home with the Bruins. Boston came in leading the season series 1-0.
Erik Haula scored twice for the Bruins, who also had goals from Brad Marchand and empty-net goals by Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in the Bruins' 5-2 win.
Gus Nyquist and Justin Danforth scored for Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins started for the fifth straight game and made 37 saves.
The Blue Jackets have dropped six consecutive games.
The Captain
In career game No. 1007 for Nick Foligno, the former Blue Jackets captain was honored pre-game for playing in 1000 career NHL games.
Foligno played in 599 career games (third all-time) for the Blue Jackets and put up 334 points (third-most) with 142 goals (fourth) and 192 assists (third). All these figures are the most for any one team he's played with including the Ottawa Senators, with whom he began his career and a brief stop with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Former captain Nick Foligno is being honored pre-game for 1000 career games! Jackets and Bruins to follow. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 2, 2022
For the game, Foligno had three shots and five hits in 9:37.
Changing The Complexion
Nyquist's 17th goal (Adam Boqvist and Cole Sillinger assists) of the season in the first period came at 19:32 on the last shot of the period for Columbus, changing the complexion of the game to that point.
The Bruins had the 15-5 shots advantage but Nyquist's tally came at the right time off the rebound as he shot through an open net with Swayman was out of position.
Nyquist's 17th ties it up pic.twitter.com/8tYh1qqurh #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 3, 2022
Before the second period was a minute old, Danforth's seventh goal (Yegor Chinakhov and Sean Kuraly assists) at 42 seconds put the Jackets ahead 2-1, giving them two goals on six shots and two goals on their last two shots.
Danforth's seventh makes it a 2-1 game. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/8T5AQeLd3A
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 3, 2022
For Danforth, it's his second goal in as many games.
Deserved A Better Fate
In his 99th career start, Merzlikins played one of his better games in quite a while but the 27-year-old wasn't able to yield a better result.
It's been a struggle in the net of late, allowing four goals in consecutive starts versus the New York Islanders coming into Saturday night's tilt, and at least three goals in five of the last six games entering play.
Merzlikins allowed two goals in a start against the St. Louis Blues on Mar. 19 but left the game—an eventual 5-4 win—due to injury.
The first two goals that were allowed against the Bruins came in moments that left little chance for the Latvian to make the saves.
Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy generate some quality looks and Erik Haula finally buries one.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 2, 2022
1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/2OuIZEvo3c
Brad Marchand. 2-2. What a shift #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/2Smvg6Mepq
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 3, 2022
Haula's second of the game and 12th of the season came with one second remaining on the Bruins' lone power play at 16:06.
Erik Haula with his second tally of the game.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 3, 2022
Bruins lead, 3-2. pic.twitter.com/ljK8RNVXcC
The Jackets were outshot 15-4 in the third period and held shotless throughout more than half of the third period. Columbus was 0-for-1 on the man-advantage.
This game signifies how snakebit the team is as the 5-2 final score is not indicative of how close the game was. However, Merzlikins really was going to have to bail out his team as the offense didn't do much to support him in the final frame.
Rematch
The Blue Jackets host the Bruins on Monday at Nationwide Arena at 7:00 pm ET.
