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Blue Jackets blow third-period lead, lose 3-2 to Ottawa in shootout
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- Blue Jackets blow third-period lead, lose 3-2 to Ottawa in shootout
On Tuesday night in Montreal , the Blue Jackets surrendered a goal 21 seconds into the game and then peppered the Canadiens with 98 shots – all futile – in a 3-0 loss.
On Thursday, Columbus scored 15 seconds into the game against Ottawa .
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Hockey is a funny game.
But one seeming constant this season has been the inability of the Blue Jackets to preserve third-period leads.
Mar 14, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) smiles after making a series of saves during the second period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena.
Columbus squandered a 2-0 lead and lost 3-2 in a shootout in front of 15,667 at Nationwide Arena.
Claude Giroux had the game-winner, blasting the final shot of the shootout past Elvis Merzlikins .
Tim Stutzle had the other shootout goal for Ottawa.
Alexandre Texier scored in the shootout on Senators goalie Anton Forsberg , but Johnny Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko were stuffed.
It was the 14th time the Blue Jackets have blown a third-period lead this season and 13th time they've lost after doing so.
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The game was largely sloppy, befitting one between the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference.
Ottawa entered with 56 points and the Blue Jackets with 54 with Columbus having played two more games.
The Senators lost seven straight before beating Pittsburgh in overtime on Tuesday.
Mar 14, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Alexander Nylander (92) andleft wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) celebrate a goal by center Boone Jenner (38) 15 seconds into the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena.
The game couldn't have started any better for Columbus. Gaudreau fed Boone Jenner in the slot shortly after Jenner won the opening faceoff. Jenner then wristed a shot past Forsberg.
Columbus took a 2-0 lead with under 15 minutes left in regulation on a power-play goal by Alex Nylander , who tapped in a rebound of his own shot. Gaudreau and Zach Werenski had the assists.
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But the Jackets then resorted to their unfortunate late-game form.
Giroux scored on a tap-in past Elvis Merzlikins two minutes later to make it 2-1. Then with 7:33 left, Columbus allowed Stutzle to be unattended in front of the goal and he scored between Merzlikins' legs.
Mar 14, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Alexander Nylander (92) shoots during the first period of the NHL hockey game against the Ottawa Senators at Nationwide Arena.
Here are four takeaways from the game:
Why this blown lead felt different
Squandered leads have been a hallmark of this Blue Jackets team this season, but coach Pascal Vincent was not displeased with the way his team played in the third period.
He said Columbus had 13 scoring chances in the period to only four for Ottawa. The problem was that Ottawa cashed in on half of its shots, which Vincent attributed to two missed assignments.
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He didn't believe the Jackets' play resembled the way they did earlier this season when they played passively when ahead.
"We've been much better recently," he said. "Early in the season, it was more being on our heels and (not having) the confidence to generate offense even if you have the lead but being smart about it. I think that's past. We're beyond that. It was two missed assignments and the puck is behind us."
Gaudreau agreed.
"We are getting better at it," he said. "It was a two-goal game. It wasn't a 4- or 5-0 game. We've found a way to lose a couple of those this year.
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"But still, we've got to work on playing with leads. We've been doing a better job. They're a skilled team. They've got some really skilled players up front. To hold them to two goals is a pretty good job, but it's unfortunate that they found a way to tie it up there with those two goals."
Merzlikins bounces back
Montreal scored three early goals against Merzlikins, causing Vincent to pull him from Tuesday's game.
Merzlikins was back in net Thursday and played well, making several sprawling saves to prevent goals. He saved 28 of 30 shots.
"The last game wasn't his fault," Vincent said. "It was just to change the momentum of the game. Obviously, he was really good tonight. Really good."
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Merzlikins credited his teammates for keeping some of the shots from scoring.
"The guys were helping me out," he said. "There were a lot of blocked shots, and a couple of big saves make me feel good."
Defenseman Ivan Provorov threw his body in front of a shot during an Ottawa power play at the end of overtime.
"Provy had a huge blocked shot," Merzlikins said. "Without him, the game would probably would have been already over."
Merzlikins was beaten twice in the shootout, allowing the game-winner on a slap shot by Giroux.
"That was a helluva shot," he said. "Good for him. I did not expect that. That was hard and accurate. I'm still thinking, 'What should I do?' It was a great shot."
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Nylander stays hot
Alex Nylander has been on a tear since the Jackets acquired him and a draft pick for Emil Bemstrom before the trade deadline.
His goal Thursday was his sixth in his last eight games.
"We were excited to have him," Vincent said. "We know he's got potential and it was up to him. So far, he's taken advantage, so I'm excited for him and the team."
Added Gaudreau, who assisted on Nylander's goal, "He's been doing great. We love having him. He's doing a great job with our team and fits in perfectly well. If he keeps playing like that, he's going to get rewarded a lot, so it's been fun."
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Injuries keep coming
Defenseman Adam Boqvist assisted on Jenner's early goal but left the game shortly afterward with an upper-body injury. Vincent said he did not have an update after the game.
Boqvist joins a large list of injured Jackets. They've lost center Sean Kuraly and wings Justin Danforth and Yegor Chinakhov to injury in recent days following the trades of Jack Roslovic and Andrew Peeke at the trade deadline. The Jackets have recalled Trey Fix-Wolansky , Carson Meyer , Brendan Gaunce and Mikael Pyyhtia to fill the void.
Mar 14, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) saves a shot from Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) in front of Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Brannstrom (26) during the second period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets squander third-period lead, lose 3-2 in shootout
