The first two periods weren't great for the Blue Jackets, but they turned it on in the third.
A big goal from Jack Roslovic was the difference tonight, as Elvis Merzlikins was outstanding in net, stopping 39 of the 41 shots that he faced. With a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks, the Blue Jackets have won three games in a row.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| CANUCKS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
The home team thought they had the lead in the first minute after Yegor Chinakhov put home a feed from Jakub Voracek, but the Canucks challenged for offside. It was deemed that Chinakhov was offside entering the zone, so the game remained scoreless.
After their successful challenge, the Canucks made a big push, but the Blue Jackets withstood it in "bend, don't break" fashion, then drew a power play as Vancouver's Justin Dowling headed off for tripping. Early on in the man advantage, Jakub Voracek went down awkwardly in the corner after taking a hit. He got a change, but would return to the game later in the first period.
The Canucks easily killed off the Blue Jackets' power play and continued to surge. Zach Werenski was called for roughing as a scrum developed, and the Blue Jackets needed a spark. Gustav Nyquist provided it in the form of a short-handed goal, the second of the Swede's career. He beat Canucks center Elias Petersson with his speed, then roofed one past Thatcher Demko's blocker to give the Blue Jackets the advantage.
Before the period ended, the Canucks would tie it up. A defensive-zone miscommunication between Werenski and Cole Sillinger gave the Canucks a 2-on-1, and Vasily Podkolzin notched his fourth goal of the season with 27.6 seconds remaining in the first period.
Six minutes and 17 seconds into the second period, Adam Boqvist gave the Blue Jackets the lead once more. The Swede cleaned up a rebound that Demko couldn't control, as Boqvist scored his second goal of the season. Then, the Blue Jackets gave up another late-period goal. Former Blue Jacket Tyler Motte tipped home a shot from Quinn Hughes with one minute and 18 seconds remaining in the middle frame, delivering a gut punch to the Blue Jackets.
The home team responded in the third period, courtesy of Jack Roslovic. Demko was screened and unable to see Roslovic's shot until it hit the back of the net at 6:06 of the third period. It was the Columbus native's third goal of the season, and he's now tallied 2-2-4 in his last three games after a slow start to the campaign.
Max Domi added an empty-netter to seal the game with 1:35 remaining.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets will travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues tomorrow night. Puck drop is slated for 8:00 p.m. EST.
