Alex Nylander's first-career NHL hat trick in over four years propelled the Blue Jackets to their first two-game win streak since November 24 in a 6-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at Nationwide Arena on Monday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| VGK GOLDEN KNIGHTS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
1st Period
Justin Danforth opened the scoring at 6:16 with his 10th goal of the season when Sean Kuraly picked up a loose puck in the slot and found Danforth in the left circle for the goal.
Nylander doubled Columbus' lead at 13:11 with his second goal of the season from the doorstep after receiving a nice feed from Alexandre Texier, who was below the goal line.
Nylanders second of the year from Texier and Provorov! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/A9BVNe7s7F
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 5, 2024
Vegas answered at 17:19 when Mason Morelli finished a wraparound off a net-mouth scramble created by a Cole Sillinger turnover.
Mason Morelli continues to light the lamp!! pic.twitter.com/r6gXWX8PQw
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 5, 2024
Former Blue Jacket William Karlsson tied the game at 18:01 with a wrist shot from the left slot.
WILD
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 5, 2024
FREAKING
BILL
pic.twitter.com/v08y3cHggf
The teams were tied at two after 20 minutes of play and each recorded 11 shots on goal.
2nd Period
Erik Gudbranson scored the lone goal of the period and his fourth of the season at 17:21 with a right-circle slap shot to put the Blue Jackets ahead 3-2.
A CANNON FROM GUDBRANSON! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/cyx5MqDirX
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 5, 2024
The Jackets took a 3-2 lead into the third period while being tied at 24 in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Nylander scored his second of the game and third of the season with a left-circle snipe to the far post at 3:23 to double Columbus' lead.
ALEX NYLANDER ARE YOU SERIOUS? #CBJ pic.twitter.com/MzXcQc7SeE
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 5, 2024
Chandler Stephenson cut Vegas' deficit in half at 10:16 with a right-circle one-timer.
Vegas goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 5, 2024
Scored by Chandler Stephenson with 09:44 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Shea Theodore and Michael Amadio.
Columbus: 4
Vegas: 3#VGKvsCBJ #CBJ #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/SiUNq4ahrZ
Yegor Chinakhov extended the Blue Jackets' lead to two at 11:20 with a wrist shot from the high slot off a no-look backhand feed from Kirill Marchenko.
CHINNY FROM MARCHY AND NATIONWIDE ARENA IS BANANALANDS #CBJ pic.twitter.com/f95G03fDbZ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 5, 2024
Vegas pulled goaltneder Adin Hill for an extra skater at 17:20 before Nylander completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:49.
RELEASE THE HATS! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/2R6Me9THbE
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 5, 2024
With the 6-3 win, the Blue Jackets improved to 21-30-10.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: VGK 40-33 CBJ
- Face-off %: VGK 54.8-45.2 CBJ
- Power play: VGK 0/1-0/2 CBJ
- Giveaways: VGK 3-2 CBJ
- Takeaways: VGK 4-8 CBJ
- Blocked shots: VGK 16-15 CBJ
- Hits: VGK 11-21 CBJ
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): VGK 3.04-2.25 CBJ
- Shot Attempts (CF): VGK 62-49 CBJ
- Shots on Goal (SF): VGK 37-26 CBJ
- Scoring Chances (SCF): VGK 26-20 CBJ
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): VGK 9-8 CBJ
Injury Update
- Patrik Laine entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Jan. 28 and will be away from the team indefinitely.
- Adam Fantilli suffered a calf laceration on Jan. 28 and is expected to miss eight weeks.
- Kent Johnson has been placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that will sideline him for the remainder of the season. He's expected to have surgery later this week.
- Elvis Merzlikins is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Next Up
The Jackets head to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club returns home to host the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
