Sunday's game was the 100th meeting between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| RED WINGS | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Much like the one on Saturday, it felt like a game from the early days of the Blue Jackets franchise; when the Red Wings were a perennial Stanley Cup contender as Columbus tried to find their way in the National Hockey League.
The Blue Jackets made it four straight games without a goal in the opening frame, and a solid performance by Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins went to waste as the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Blue Jackets 4-1 in a listless Sunday afternoon effort from John Tortorella's team.
Evgeny Svechnikov got the scoring started for Detroit in the first period, and the Red Wings dominated the first period for the second time in as many days. The Blue Jackets managed just three shots on goal in the first period, a day after mustering just five against one of the worst defenses in the league.
Columbus briefly showed signs of life in the second, when a tremendous effort by Jack Roslovic in the corner led to a deflection goal by the Columbus native on a shot from Oliver Bjorkstrand. That would tie the game at 1-1, where it would remain through two periods.
A textbook redirect by Roslovic in the high slot. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/u7raFooppk
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 28, 2021
That would be as close as Columbus would get to salvaging the weekend series, as the Red Wings would take a 2-1 lead in the third period on a goal from Michael Rasmussen, his first of the season. Two empty net goals in the final two minutes cemented a putrid weekend of hockey from the Blue Jackets, who were outscored 7-2 in the two-game set.
Elvis Merzlikins, making starts on back-to-back days with Joonas Korpisalo out of the lineup with an injury, stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Blue Jackets. Detroit's Calvin Pickard stopped 16 of 17 shots for the Red Wings, and picked up his second win of the weekend. Prior to Saturday's game, Pickard had not a won an NHL game since 2018.
Injury Update
Emil Bemstrom remains on injured reserved with a lower body injury sustained in practice. Joonas Korpisalo is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Next Up
Columbus will spend the next four games in Florida, with two each against the Lightning and Panthers. The sets begins in Tampa Bay, with puck drop set for Tuesday at 7:00 P.M.
