| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 |
1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
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On the second night of a back-to-back, the Columbus Blue Jackets ran out of gas in the third period as they fall 5-1 to the Montreal Canadiens.
The game was tied with under five minutes left in the second period. That's when Montreal captain Nick Suzuki scored to give the Canadiens a 2-1 lead they would take into the final period.
Montreal would score three more times in the third, all in a span of less than five minutes, to hand Columbus their second-largest defeat of the season.
When asked what happened in the third, forward Mathieu Olivier gave an honest assessment. "They got a good goal, a fortunate bounce, and we just kind of stopped playing," said Olivier, who had a heavyweight bout with Montreal's Arber Xhejak in the second period. "We kind of got discouraged."
Dante Fabbro scored the only goal for the Blue Jackets; his first in a Columbus sweater. Goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 25 saves in the losing effort.
Here's a breakdown of the breakdown north of the border:
1st Period:
(4:59 — MTL Goal): The Canadiens season-long struggles apply to most aspects of their game — but not the power play, and they take a 1-0 lead on the man-advantage just under five minutes in. Mike Matheson gets his first of the season on a 90mph slapper from the high slot. Tarasov was perfectly screened by the 6'2", 220lb frame of Montreal's Lucas Condotta.
2nd Period:
(7:40 — CBJ Goal): Fabbro pulls the game square. After an out of sorts opening frame for the Blue Jackets, momentum had been shifting in Columbus' favor before this goal ties it at 1-1. The play starts with Zach Aston-Reese getting a takeaway as Montreal works to clear the puck. It gets chipped into the corner and Kevin Labanc — always seemingly in the right spot at the right time — uses the boards to get it to Zach Werenski. He swaps sides of the ice with Fabbro, who takes the shot and rips it past Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault for the Blue Jackets first goal of the evening.
#CBJ finding their game in the second period and it pays off here with Dante Fabbro's first goal as a Jacket to tie the game at 1-1. We're still there, now with 9:27 left in the second.pic.twitter.com/XwRdVKQIJA
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 17, 2024
(8:09): Olivier and Xhekaj provides one of the best heavyweight battles of the season so far in the NHL. Right hook after right hook exchanged by the two, but it seems like Olivier landed the best couple of jabs. In either event, this was a classic.
*ding ding ding*
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 17, 2024
Mathieu Olivier and Arber Xhekaj with a dandy. Seems like Olivier won it, but there certainly wasn't a loser in that one. Great battle. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/k0Cq5dvRsQ
(15:49 — MTL Goal): Tarasov made numerous great saves throughout the first couple of periods, but Nick Suzuki's goal to regain Montreal's lead came on what looked like it should've been a routine save. The Canadiens captain is in the high slot with Ivan Provorov near him and gets just enough separation from the Blue Jackets defenseman to fire it at Tarasov's glove side. He reacts late and Montreal goes up 2-1.
3rd Period:
(11:04, 12:52, 15:55 — MTL Goals): Needing a goal to tie the game, the Blue Jackets are completely unable to get any sustained play near the Montreal net for the first several minutes of the period. It goes from bad to worse after the midway point of the period, with the Canadiens scoring three times in less than five minutes on a series of misplays, misreads, and mistakes.
| CBJ | GAME STATS | MTL |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | SHOTS | 30 |
| 50% | FACEOFFS | 50% |
| 0/4 | POWER PLAY | 1/4 |
| 3/4 | PENALTY KILL | 4/4 |
| 18 | HITS | 21 |
| 18 | GIVEAWAYS | 7 |
| 5 | TAKEAWAYS | 4 |
| 11 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 17 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 2.45 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.55 |
| 54 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 47 |
| 19 | SCORING CHANCES | 20 |
| 8 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 8 |
| Data Via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Talk:
-
With just 26 shots on goal, the Blue Jackets were outshot for the first time in seven games in the loss. Montreal, who picked up 30 shots, entered the game averaging a league-low 24.2.
-
Columbus' best period was the second: they doubled up Montreal 22-11 in shot attempts, the only period in which the Blue Jackets led the category. In 13:16 of 5v5 in the third period, Columbus managed just six total shot attempts and four shots on goal.
- Werenski and Labanc's assist on Fabbro's goal were the 9th assist of the season for both players, trailing only Kirill Marchenko (10).
Up Next:
Another road game for the Blue Jackets, this time to Boston for a Monday night battle with the Bruins. Puck is set to drop at 7:00 p.m.
