Three Things: Another Six Goals, Another Record, Elvis Just Misses Shutout, Pyyhtia's First Career Goal

By Will Chase on October 29, 2024 at 8:15 am
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins (90) makes a glove save as Edmonton Oilers center Mattias Janmark (13) looks for a rebound during the third period at Nationwide Arena.
© Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are getting into a habit. At least, most teams will win when you score six goals.

For the Blue Jackets, it's the fourth time this season they've scored exactly six goals in a victory as they did on Monday night, 6-1 over the Edmonton Oilers.

Sean Monahan scored twice, and Adam Fantilli, Cole Sillinger, Mathieu Olivier, and Mikael Pyyhtia each scored.

Mattias Ekholm scored with 27 seconds left in the game for Edmonton to break the Elvis Merzlikins shutout bid.

Monday's matchup was the second of a back-to-back for the Oilers, who beat the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night 3-2 in overtime. Edmonton is the fifth opponent to play Columbus on the second of a back-to-back this season and the third consecutive such matchup for Columbus.

Another Six Goals, Another Record

We've written about this before, but it's been so much fun that we're glad to keep talking about it.

The Blue Jackets offense once again stayed hot, scoring six goals in a game for the fourth time this season. After all, they're averaging six goals per win. With the six-goal output, the Jackets set another franchise record with 33 goals through eight games.

Blue Jackets Scorers Goals Assists
Yegor Chinakhov 0 1
Adam Fantilli 1 1
Kirill Marchenko 0 2
Sean Monahan 2 0
Mathieu Olivier 1 0
Mikael Pyyhtia 1 0
Cole Sillinger 1 2
James van Riemsdyk 0 1
Zach Werenski 0 1

"You want to obviously want to play with a lead," Sillinger said. "But what I liked tonight is we stayed in the hunt but we were in the Jackets side. We weren't cheating for extra goals.

"It's cliché but we played the right way most of the night and it showed. We got rewarded."

The head coach certainly liked the start.

"We were really happy with the start," head coach Dean Evason said. "And then even more happy when we got up the three goals after the first period where we went in and talked to the group.

"We didn't turn the puck over as much. We're going to turn pucks over and we talked about it this morning and the adjustment that we made as a group to limit those turnovers in the crucial areas and we did that."

Elvis Just Misses Shutout

Making his first start since Oct. 15 following a hand injury, Merzlikins played one of his best games in recent memory, making 31 saves and coming just 27 seconds shy of his 11th career shutout.

Ekholm's power-play tally at 19:33 broke the bid but you'll take the complete team effort and the play of the netminder. The Oilers lost Connor McDavid to a lower-body injury along the boards after only one 37-second shift in the first period.

According to MoneyPuck, Merzlikins had 1.27 goals above expected.

This year has been a nice change of pace for the goaltender and the team. Particularly on the defensive side, as it pertains to the flurry of goals now going behind other goaltenders for a change.

"I'm not going to say it's funny because it's definitely not funny, "Merzlikins said. "Those nights of six goals, I had quite a bit of them. It's not a good feeling. It's good that we have a big change this year. I think we are really solid in the back and even in the front. We know what we're doing right now.

"Last year, we definitely didn't look like we know what we do when we get the puck. Here, everyone knows their own role. Everyone is working hard."

Evason talked about his goaltender in the room.

"Elvis has been a leader on our team so far," Evason said. "He's led by example, he's led in practice, he's lead with his work ethic. The other night when he's not playing, he's the first one high-fiving guys and praising guys. He's been fantastic.

"We want him to have fire in his belly, we just don't want him to have fire all the time. We want him to play the game composed, as we want everybody, but certainly our goaltenders and he did that tonight."

Pyyhtia's First Career Goal

Goal scoring is fun and Pyyhtia wanted to get into the act.

The 22-year-old Finn scored his first career NHL goal at 15:15 of the third period to give Columbus a 5-1 lead. His linemates, Fantilli and Sillinger got the assists and the line combined for three goals and six points.

Trying To Start A Streak

Columbus has alternated wins and losses through its first eight games. They'll look to win two in a row for the first time this season when they host the New York Islanders on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m. ET at Nationwide Arena.

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