This was quite the role reversal.
How many times has Sergei Bobrovsky been the goaltender stealing a game for the Blue Jackets?
Tonight it was Corey Crawford, and his team picked him up in the third period.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| BLACKHAWKS | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
The Blue Jackets flat-out dominated this game for long stretches, and they'd racked up 30 – yes, 30 – scoring chances (all situations) through two periods, but were locked in a 1-1 tie. Only Zach Werenski's first period goal had dented Crawford, who was making his second start of the season after a long injury absence.
Crawford made 37 saves in the Blackhawks' 4-1 victory, and the difference was a fluky Marcus Kruger goal in the third period. Alexandre Fortin tossed a puck into traffic from the left wing boards and it deflected off Kruger along the way, fooling Bobrovsky at 7:43 of the final frame.
Oh, did the Blue Jackets have chances.
They came up empty on the power play. They couldn't convert odd-man rushes and bang-bang plays that they had no issues generating, but Crawford was there to slam the door.
Every now and then, "one of those games" comes along and this certainly fell into that category. The Blue Jackets did so many things well, so many things right, but their missed chances caught up to them in the third period and the Blackhawks were ready to pounce on those mistakes.
The Blue Jackets are 4-3-0 (8 points) on the season with two of their next three on home ice.
Injury Update
Seth Jones has joined the Blue Jackets for practice is nearing a return to the lineup from a knee injury, and could be back as soon as Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets continue a mini-homestand on Tuesday night when they take on the Coyotes at Nationwide Arena.
