Behind goals from fourth-line forwards Sean Kuraly and Justin Danforth, along with a 36-save performance from Spencer Martin pushed the Blue Jackets past the Flames 3-1 on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.
1st Period
Johnny Gaudreau had the game's first chance when his backhand attempt from the slot was denied by Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom at 0:50.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| CGY FLAMES | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
At 9:54, Cole Sillinger hit Nazem Kadri along the right-wing boards in the Blue Jackets' offensive zone, Kadri took exception to it, and they engaged in a passionate tussle.
Great tussle between #Flames Nazem Kadri and #CBJs Cole Sillinger pic.twitter.com/oYHoigqei1
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 20, 2023
The Jackets killed off a 25-second five-on-three for Calgary and went into the first period tied with the Flames while carrying a 14-11 advantage in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Kirill Marchenko's bid for his first goal of the season sailed just above the crossbar at 4:38.
Sean Kuraly opened the scoring at 6:29 with a right-circle wrist shot on a two-on-one rush thanks to a pass from Justin Danforth from along the wall.
A great pass by #CBJs Danforth (17) from along the wall springs Kuraly (7) on a two-on-one rush where he beats Markstrom (25) with a right-circle wrist shot. #Flames 0-1 #CBJ https://t.co/jxwvKeQDmq
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 21, 2023
Kadri had a golden chance to tie the game at 15:11 when he was in the low slot, but put his backhand try just wide.
Just 12 seconds later, Adam Fantilli nearly doubled the lead with what would have been his first NHL goal with a right-circle one-timer at 15:23, but Markstrom robbed him with a glove save.
Gaudreau had his own bid to double the lead at 16:12 after receiving a feed from Boone Jenner, but Markstrom stopped his shot from the blue paint.
Columbus took a 1-0 lead into the final frame while trailing 25-20 in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Danforth doubled the Jackets' lead at 8:45, finishing a one-time pass from Jack Roslovic below the left circle.
#CBJ Danforth (2) goal pic.twitter.com/jflKgAQ9MF
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 21, 2023
Calgary answered quickly while short-handed following a poor point-to-point pass by Gaudreau, leading to an Elias Lindholm breakaway goal at 10:37.
#Flames Lindholm goal pic.twitter.com/YVlOunG8rq
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 21, 2023
Zach Werenski scored in his return, finding the back of the empty Flames net from his own left-wing wall at 17:39.
#CBJ Werenski (1) goal pic.twitter.com/FjtnaZ0ZA6
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) October 21, 2023
In the dying seconds of the game, Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson delivered a cheap shot to Patrik Laine, who had just released a shot towards the empty net.
Andersson catches Laine with a hit in the dying seconds of the game. pic.twitter.com/VvpTXylYYU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2023
Andersson received a five-minute major penalty for elbowing along with a 10-minute game misconduct for the hit and was tackled by Erik Gudbranson seconds after committing the penalty.
The Blue Jackets were able to hold on for the 3-1 victory and improved to 2-2-0.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CGY 37-29 CBJ
- Faceoff %: CGY 42.6-57.4 CBJ
- Power play: CGY 0/2-0/2 CBJ
- Takeaways: CGY 3-7 CBJ
- Giveaways: CGY 4-6 CBJ
- Blocked shots: CGY 18-16 CBJ
- Hits: CGY 14-9 CBJ
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CGY 2.43-1.92 CBJ
- Shot Attempts (CF): CGY 53-57 CBJ
- Shots on Goal (SF): CGY 28-26 CBJ
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CGY 22-21 CBJ
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CGY 10-5 CBJ
Injury Update
- Yegor Chinakhov (back strain) and Daniil Tarasov (knee) remain on the non-roster/injured list.
Next Up
The Jackets are back in action Saturday night as they take on the Wild at Xcel Energy Center St. Paul at 8 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club returns to Columbus to take on the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
