It's a story as old as time: a group of dudes takes a trip to Vegas, gets a bit of early luck, then ends up deep in the hole in a blink of an eye. Yesterday, it was (presumably) a few bachelor parties. Tonight, it was the Columbus Blue Jackets.
You know what they say – the house always wins.
The Jackets got a firsthand look at the red-hot expansion Golden Knights for the first time, and left with a good idea of why Vegas has been so successful in their first year. The Jackets got thoroughly out-skated and beaten by a team that simply played faster. The Golden Knights kept their legs moving all night and made lightning-quick decisions to keep the puck in motion as well.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
The biggest beneficiary of that play style, as has been the case all season, was center and former Blue Jacket William Karlsson. The Swedish center had three full breakaways and put up two goals on the night as his new team absolutely smoked his old one by a final score of 6-3.
Another former Jacket, Jonathan Marchessault, added two assists of his own. This one was downright ugly for the visiting team.
Holy. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/pCieh8VUgv
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 24, 2018
Believe it or not, the Jackets actually led this game 2-1 at one point, and had a few fleeting moments where they looked like the club that got off to a hot start this year. Most notably, this incredible sequence wherein a flashy drop pass by Nick Foligno led to a top-shelf snipe by Markus Nutivaara.
The goal is actually Nutivaara. What a drop pass from Foligno. Nutivaara picks a spot and doesn't miss.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/K3ab2g8BU0
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 24, 2018
Josh Anderson added a goal of his own to make it 2-1 before an onslaught by Vegas made it 5-2. Nick Foligno added another assist on a Matt Calvert goal to bring the Jackets within two, but it simply was not enough.
Injury Update
Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson inch closer to returning, having skated in full gear today, but may be out a bit longer as we approach the All-Star break.
Next Up
The Jackets have Wednesday night off before a Thursday game in Arizona. That'll lead into the NHL All-Star break, and a four-day break for every player on the roster not named Seth Jones.
