On Sunday, the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Los Angeles Kings, recording their first win streak in almost a month. Sadly, they followed that up with two straight losses on Tuesday and Thursday. So they headed into their game against the Boston Bruins, looking to get back on track.
The Bruins recorded the only goal in the first period as they took a 1-0 lead heading into the second. The Blue Jackets answered, scoring with six minutes left in the period to tie it up. Unfortunately, that didn't last long as Boston notched another goal two and a half minutes later. Interestingly, all three of the goals scored in the first two frames came from the power-play.
The Third Period was all Bruins as they scored two goals just 19 seconds apart to pull off the 4-2 victory.
Tarasov In Net Again
For the second game in a row, Daniil Tarasov started in the net for Columbus. This was his ninth start as he has appeared in almost a third of his team's games this season. He is getting far more ice time now, after playing in only four contests in 2021-22.
His numbers haven't been too bad this season, with the 23-year-old posting a .910 SV% and a 3.14 GAA heading into this match. His play hasn't exactly been spectacular as he has the lowest SV% on the team when facing high-danger shot attempts. But the Russian goaltender's play has been solid as he has posted the highest SV% on medium and low-danger shot attempts. In other words, he is stopping the shots he is supposed to stop.
WHAT A SAVE BY TARRY pic.twitter.com/R1Sgu6HNPM
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2022
In this game, Tarasov played great for the first two-and-a-half periods, stopping 31 of 33 shots for a .939 SV%, before falling apart and allowing two more goals in just 19 seconds.
Weak Play
The Blue Jackets have struggled with power-play scoring all season long. They were the last team to record a power-play goal this season, and they currently own the lowest power-play scoring percentage in the league, however, they did well in this game as they scored on two of their five power plays.
However, the other side of the coin, the penalty kill, was a problem spot for the CBJ in this one. They are normally middle-of-the-road in this category, but that was not the case against the Bruins. They only stopped one of three power-plays that they faced for a paltry .333 PK%.
Laine Hot Again
Laine GOAL https://t.co/D08shtrrCQ pic.twitter.com/LaF6ZH4JZO
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 17, 2022
Patrik Laine scored nine points in six games, before going scoreless in the two games preceding this one. His slump didn't last long as he tallied two points on one goal and one assist against the Bruins. He now has 15 points in 17 games on the season.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets head home to face the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena on Monday. The puck drop is at 7 p.m. EST.
