| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
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0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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CBJ GOALS: |
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A late goal ended a season-long scoreless drought but the Columbus Blue Jackets suffered their fourth straight loss Monday night, falling 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils.
Neither team scored until the final minutes of the second period, when the Devils connected on goals 39 seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead into the third period.
Mathieu Olivier's goal with 6:36 left in the finale frame was the result of a dominant third period of hockey from the Blue Jackets.
Columbus outshot the Devils 46-20 for the game and 24-3 in the third period, making a feverish push to try and tie the game after Olivier's goal put an end to a goalless streak that lasted 182 minutes, 55 seconds over parts of four games.
Head coach Dean Evason believes the final 20 minutes could be a turning point in Columbus' cold streak.
"Did we play the right way? Do we believe that this is the turning point? Do we believe that this is the one that, not only the period, the game, that turns us around?"
"Yes. 100%," said Evason. "We played our asses off."
"We just didn't get the result."
Jet Greaves, recalled this week from Cleveland, made his first NHL start since Jan. 11th. He stopped 18 of New Jersey's 20 shots.
Here's how Columbus came up just short despite the solid game:
1st Period:
A scoreless first period with a relatively low number of chances, including just two high-danger chances (both from the Blue Jackets). New Jersey had the only power play in the frame but Columbus did an excellent job of shutting it down, allowing just one shot on goal (and grabbing one of their own, too).
2nd Period:
(13:35 — NJ Goal): It takes more than half the game, but the Devils take a 1-0 lead with 6:25 left in the second on Timo Meier's 20th of the season. He grabs the puck in the neutral zone and muscles past Dante Fabbro, getting a shot off that goes five-hole on Greaves for the first goal of the game.
(14:14 — NJ Goal): Greaves had avoided any blunders — until here. He goes to play the puck behind the net and it takes a weird bounce, kicking off him and going right to Bratt. Greaves can't recover in time and Bratt gets his 20th of the season to join Meier in the 20-goal club and put the Devils up 2-0.
Greaves took full responsibility for the play, despite the quirky bounce.
"At the end of the day, it's my job to stop it and keep the puck out of the net," said Greaves.
New Jersey goal!
— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) March 18, 2025
Scored by Jesper Bratt with 05:46 remaining in the 2nd period.
Columbus: 0
New Jersey: 2#NJDvsCBJ #CBJ #NJDevils pic.twitter.com/D7whrItN7B
3rd Period:
(13:24 — CBJ Goal): Finally, finally, finally. Olivier ends the scoreless drought with his 16th goal of the season to put the Blue Jackets within one, 2-1. Zach Aston-Reese dumps the puck in front of the net and it gets through its intended target of Justin Danforth, but he gets just enough of the pass to deflect it to the stick of Olivier, who secures the first Columbus goal in over three hours of play.
Olivier snaps the drought here, but the #CBJ need one more. They trail 2-1 with three minutes left. pic.twitter.com/nVXjlP96EF
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 18, 2025
| NJ | GAME STATS | CBJ |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | SHOTS | 46 |
| 46% | FACEOFFS | 54% |
| 0/1 | POWER PLAY | 0/1 |
| 1/1 | PENALTY KILL | 1/1 |
| 15 | HITS | 25 |
| 19 | GIVEAWAYS | 16 |
| 3 | TAKEAWAYS | 6 |
| 22 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 14 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 1.64 | EXPECTED GOALS | 4.77 |
| 43 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 87 |
| 21 | SCORING CHANCES | 35 |
| 6 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 15 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
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Shot attempts in the third period: 50-7 in favor of the Blue Jackets, an incredible 87.7% of the attempts. Nearly half (24) were shots on goal, and half of those (12) were categorized as high-danger chances.
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Mathieu Olivier registered two hits in the game, breaking the single-season club record for hits. He passed Brandon Dubinsky, who had 248 in the 2016-17 season. Olivier is now at 250 for the season.
- They had just one attempt Monday night, but the Blue Jackets are now at seven straight games without a power play goal. They are 0-for-17 during that stretch.
Up Next:
The Blue Jackets will look to avoid a winless homestand when they face the Florida Panthers. Puck-drop Thursday night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
