| 1 | 2 | 3 (OT) | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
0 | 2 | 0 (1) | 3 |
 |
1 | 1 | 0 (0) | 2 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
||||
Goals in each of the first two periods weren't enough for the Columbus Blue Jackets, who fell 3-2 to the Utah Hockey Club in overtime Thursday night in front of a sold-out Nationwide Arena crowd.
The loss returned the favor to Columbus, who had defeated Utah by the same score — also in overtime — just six nights ago.
Justin Danforth started the scoring for the Blue Jackets in an otherwise dull first period for the home team. His shot was one of just three for Columbus in the opening frame.
Utah would tie the game at 1-1 early in the second period, just six seconds after their period-opening power-play ended. They would then take a 2-1 lead later in the period on a deflected pass that wound up in the back of the net.
Late in the second, Ivan Provorov would score for the third consecutive game and pick up the first short-handed goal in his career. That came after Mikael Pyyhtia took an awkward hit, resulting in Damon Severson going to bat for his teammate and fighting Utah's Michael Kesselring. Both received fighting majors, but Severson would get an extra two for roughing, which put Utah on the power play.
While short-handed, Provorov took a good feed from Zach Werenski and quickly moved up the ice, getting off a shot from distance that beat Utah goalie Connor Ingram.
Werenski's assist on the goal made it 20 consecutive home games with a point, now the fifth longest streak in NHL history by a defenseman.
But despite those streaks continuing, the Blue Jackets came up short when Dylan Guenther scored his second straight overtime goal — this one on a breakaway after Columbus briefly had a breakaway of their own.
Here's how Utah pulled out a late win in Columbus:
1st Period:
(5:51 — CBJ Goal): Danforth gets his fourth goal of the season in a sequence that started with a good bit of hustle in the corner to disrupt Utah's clearing attempt. Danforth then charges to the net and is in prime position to put the Blue Jackets on the board 1-0 after the puck is directed back to the Utah net.
Justin Danforth picks up his 4th goal of the season in a sequence that started with a good bit of hustle in the corner to disrupt Utah's clearing attempt. He then charges to the net and is in prime position to put the #CBJ on the board, 1-0. pic.twitter.com/wH6a5uBIOG
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 7, 2025
2nd Period
(2:06 — UHC Goal:): Just six seconds after Utah's period-opening power play comes to an end, Lawson Crouse ties the game at 1-1. Josh Doan threads the needle perfectly to find Crouse in the slot.
(12:33 — UHC Goal): Olli Maatta gives Utah their first lead of the game. He throws the puck at Merzlikins and it deflects into the back of the net, making it 2-1 in favor of the Hockey Club. There wasn't much Elvis Merzlikins could do about this, and the Columbus netminder had another solid night between the pipes despite the loss. He finished with 30 saves on 33 shots.
(19:21 — CBJ SH Goal): Puck. Don't. Lie. After Severson gets two minutes for roughing on a very questionable call that got the crowd involved with a loud chorus of boos and chants, Provorov gets the equalizer on the first short-handed goal of his career. Great defensive work on the penalty kill from Columbus leads to Provorov being able to move the puck up the ice. He sees just enough room between him and the defense and snipes it past Ingram to tie the game at 2-2.
Provorov's shorty was the first of his career and the first three-game goal-scoring streak of his career, too. This tied the game late in the second. We start period three now, 2-2. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/1rOrXM6kv5
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) February 7, 2025
3rd Period + Overtime
There was no scoring in the third period, but the Blue Jackets certainly had their chances. Columbus had a pair of power-plays that came up empty, and five of their ten high-danger chances for the game came in the final frame.
A wild sequence unfolds in overtime as the Blue Jackets appear to briefly have a 3-on-0 breakaway, but the puck is too far front of any of them. That's when Ingram springs into action, throwing the puck down the ice and catching Guenther, who gets a breakaway himself. His first shot is saved by Merzlikins, but he puts the rebound home to give Utah the 3-2 overtime win.
Utah goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) February 7, 2025
Scored by Dylan Guenther with 00:33 remaining in the OT period.
Assisted by Connor Ingram.
Columbus: 2
Utah: 3#UTAvsCBJ #CBJ #UtahHC pic.twitter.com/TMjyXtuzyd
| UHC | GAME STATS | CBJ |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | SHOTS | 22 |
| 47% | FACEOFFS | 53% |
| 0/3 | POWER PLAY | 0/2 |
| 2/2 | PENALTY KILL | 3/3 |
| 20 | HITS | 19 |
| 20 | GIVEAWAYS | 22 |
| 3 | TAKEAWAYS | 3 |
| 14 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 16 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 4.31 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.77 |
| 79 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 54 |
| 41 | SCORING CHANCES | 26 |
| 17 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 10 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
Werenski's 20th straight home game with a point puts him behind only the following names when it comes to longest home point streaks by a defenseman in NHL history: Bobby Orr (25 games; 1974-75), Paul Coffey (23 games; 1985-86), Phil Housley (22 games (1991-92), and Orr again (21 games; 1970-71).
-
Despite their 1-0 lead after the first, the Blue Jackets had just three shots on goal in the first period and were out-attempted 27-6.
- Columbus is now 11-0-2 at home when leading after the opening period.
Up Next:
One more game before the 4 Nations Face-Off and it's a big one: the Blue Jackets welcome the New York Rangers to town Saturday night. Puck-drop is slated for 7 p.m.
