That was a better effort.
The season series tied at one apiece, the Columbus Blue Jackets were in Detroit on Saturday night to face off with the Red Wings from Little Caesars Arena and finish up their three-game set.
It ended up being a pretty good game.
Jack Roslovic had four points and scored his second career hat trick, and first as a Blue Jacket. Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth each scored for Columbus as Elvis Merzlikins made 34 saves in his ninth straight start during the 5-4 overtime victory. Zach Werenski had three assists and Gus Nyquist had two helpers.
Jakub Vrana scored twice for the Red Wings. Sam Gagner and Dylan Larkin also scored. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves.
Missing Someone
Sean Kuraly missed the game due to being placed in COVID protocol on early Saturday.
#CBJ forward Sean Kuraly will be out of the lineup tonight because of COVID protocols. Jackets likely to go 11 forwards, seven defenseman tonight in Detroit. Elvis Merzlikins in net.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) April 9, 2022
With Kuraly out, just two #CBJ players remain on pace to play all 82 games with 10 to go -- Gus Nyquist and Andrew Peeke.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) April 9, 2022
As a result, Brad Larsen dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen, and for one night, it all worked.
The Jackets held off the Red Wings in a high-scoring affair. They killed off the lone Red Wings power play chance, their 14th straight kill, and they out-blocked the Wings 17-13. Even without their hits leader in Kuraly who leads the club with 216 hits, they outmuscled the Wings 32-29 in a chippy affair.
Added Intensity
The Blue Jackets wanted to get back on their game after a disappointing 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Specifically, they wanted to find their energy.
Kuraly is a big energy guy but they would have to get along without him.
The urgency was there in his absence.
Playing in his 300th career NHL game, Roslovic put the Blue Jackets ahead 1-0 at 13:14 after retrieving the puck on a turnover inside the Blue Jackets' offensive zone and unleashing the shot past Nedeljkovic. The unassisted goal was Roslovic's 13th this season, and first in 12 games.
Big boom there by Jack. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/UyBDeqjK4i
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 9, 2022
Goaltender interference in the second period kept the score a 1-0 game in favor of the away team.
Chatoic energy as Joe Veleno falls into Merzlikins, and though Lucas Raymond put the puck into the net, goaltender interference keeps this a 1-0 game. #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 10, 2022
Vrana tied the game at one at 13:41 on a created turnover of his own.
Intercepting the Adam Boqvist pass in the Blue Jackets' zone, Vrana skated the puck up ice, shaking Vladislav Gavrikov to bury his ninth of the year on the unassisted tally.
Gagner (Mitchell Stevens, Marc Staal) put Detroit ahead 2-1 for his fourth goal in three games at 17:21 on a wide-open side of the net. Gagner buried the pass from Staal from the sideboard. Then there was a post-goal scrum.
The exact same thing happened on the other side at 18:01 on Sillinger's 12th goal (Zach Werenski) in which there was a post-goal scrum.
Sillinger's 12th makes this a brand new game. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/zSfJdY1baY
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 10, 2022
Following the latest Blue Jackets goal, Columbus ended up on a 4-on-3 power play as a result of the scrums involving Adam Erne, Andrew Peeke, Filip Hronek, and Werenski.
Great #CBJ work and a sweet feed by Werenski to set up Cole in front, and he has all day to beat Nedeljkovic.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) April 10, 2022
Looked like Boqvist said something to someone after the goal and it all set off. Voracek tackled Larkin at one point.
There was more third period snarl late when Dylan Larkin bumped Merzlikins on a puck clearing attempt. Before that, Larkin scored his 31st goal, in his 500th career game, to bring the Wings within one at 15:35, and then Vrana's 10th, and second of the game, tied the score at four at 16:33. Vrana has 11 points (seven goals, four assists) over his last 10 games. He's missed most of the season after recovering from shoulder surgery.
Roslovic's 300th + 2
As mentioned above, tonight's game was Roslovic's 300th of his NHL career. While it was just another game for Roslovic, it was his best of the year.
Jack Roslovic breaks down his first period goal. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/2hRXCGYk4z
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 9, 2022
Roslovic scored the go-ahead goal for his second of the night at 4:04 for his 14th of the season. Patrik Laine assisted on the play.
Having broken a 12-game drought without a goal, he also scored two goals during Columbus' 4-1 win on Mar. 16 at the Senators and in their 7-4 win against the Sabres on Nov. 22.
Roslovic added an assist on Danforth's third period tally—four goals in six games—at 12:34. Gus Nyquist also assisted.
Danforth's ninth. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/rzX0jHbtqp
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 10, 2022
For Roslovic though, that wasn't all. He completed his second career hat trick, first as a Blue Jacket, at 3:19 for his 15th goal in overtime. Nyquist picked up his second assist and Werenski picked up his third assist.
Hats off for Jack. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/DUHtaki8dm
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) April 10, 2022
Roslovic co-led the game with six shots and +4 in 24:45.
Kent Johnson's Debut?
The Blue Jackets take on the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night from Nationwide Arena at 7:00 pm ET. Columbus leads the season series 2-0 after defeating Montreal 6-3 on Jan. 30 and 2-1 on Feb. 12, both meetings at Bell Centre. Montreal fell at the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight from Scotiabank Arena, 3-2.
