SUNRISE, Fla. — The Blue Jackets got the real "Bob" experience this time.
Backed by Sergei Bobrovsky 's 22-save shutout, the Florida Panthers dealt the Blue Jackets a stinging 4-0 loss to start a three-game road trip that gets even tougher with the next two stops in Tampa and Boston.
Bobrovsky got some help from his goalposts, but made a number of key stops in the first two periods before his teammates shut Columbus down in the third with just two shots on goal for the Blue Jackets (10-16-2). It was a lot different than what happened Nov. 20 at Nationwide Arena , when Columbus won 5-3 with Bobrosky in Florida's net.
"It is always nice to get those saves and it's nice to get the win," said Bobrovsky, who twice won the Vezina Trophy with the Blue Jackets. "We were great. We had penalty-kill minutes, had great sticks and blocks. It was fun to help (my team) win this game."
The flip side was a lot tougher for the Blue Jackets to stomach. After allowing a goal by Aleksander Barkov with 43.3 seconds left in the second period, Columbus trailed 3-0 coming out of a competitive 20 minutes.
"We had two pretty solid periods there," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "The first was really good. The second they had a few looks there with their power play, but there wasn't a lot (allowed). It's tough to come out of those two periods down 3-0, let's put it that way.
Florida's other three goals were scored by Brandon Montour , Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart — who scored the final one into an empty net late in the third.
Elvis Merzlikins (23 saves) took the loss in net for the Blue Jackets, who'd won their previous two games and have yet to win three in a row.
Here's a closer look:
Second period strikes again
The Blue Jackets' struggle in the second periods of games is real.
They went into the game against the Panthers on the wrong side of a 43-29 differential and watched it climb to 45-29 after being outscored 2-0. This time, a 1-0 deficit turned into a 3-0 hole starting the third and Barkov's goal left the biggest mark.
The Panthers had also made it 3-0 earlier in the period on a goal that was overturned by a video review, but the goals weren't the only cause behind the sting for the Jackets. The toughest thing to swallow was playing a solid period and still getting outscored by two.
They weren't outshot by a wide margin (9-8 for Florida). They didn't get pinned into their own end as much during the "long change" period. The Blue Jackets also stood toe-to-toe with the Panthers in a physical 20 minutes that included a hard open-ice hit by rookie Jake Christiansen on center Chris Tierney .
Christiansen also hit the crossbar with a wrist shot and the Jackets applied pressure against Bobrovsky through the first 15 minutes. They just couldn't get one past him and the deficit grew.
"You're never going to think you can't come back, but three goals against teams in this league is tough," center Sean Kuraly said. "It's got to start from our net out, to defend from our net out and then you go from there … but three goals is a big climb."
Christiansen continues to show physical side
He has rosy cheeks and a bit of a baby face, but don't let Christiansen's looks fool you.
His hit on Tierney was swift, on target and heavy after he noticed the puck bobble at the end of the veteran's stick. Tierney's fall also precipitated a fall by Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger that smacked the head of the Panthers center into the ice. He left the game with an upper-body injury, didn't return and the entire sequence set off Tkachuk — who chased Christiansen down and picked up a roughing penalty.
It's something Christiansen expected.
"If you have a hit like that, obviously there are guys who are going to come after you," he said. "I'm trying to incorporate that into my game. I don't get the chance too much to step up like that, but there's going to be guys that are coming after you after that."
Christiansen is known for his offense at lower levels, but he's trying to stick around the NHL by adding to his toolkit.
"It has to be part of his game and I think it is," Larsen said. "I think it comes natural. He plays hard. He's not a soft kid by any means. He's very competitive. I've seen him pop a few guys and it's a good, clean hit. He steps up, sees a guy, the guy's looking down at the puck. It's great. I think it's got to be part of his game."
Laine's return coincides with another power outage
Patrik Laine is showing signs that he's nearing one of his patented hot streaks, but the Blue Jackets' power play still isn't part of it. The Jackets went 0 for 3 against the Panthers and are only 3 for 26 (11.5%) in seven games since he rejoined the lineup following a sprained ankle.
Laine has eight goals in 15 games, but none on the power play. The biggest issue continues to be the setup of the top unit with Laine and Gaudreau both feeling most comfortable playing the left side of the Jackets' 1-3-1.
Gaudreau, a left-handed shot, feels most comfortable in that spot making plays on his strong side. Laine, a right-handed shooter, has a cannon of a one-timer best deployed from the left circle. The attempted answers so far haven't netted any goals for Laine, who is interchanging spots with Gaudreau and point man Marcus Bjork to be more unpredictable.
While Laine was out with his ankle injury, the Jackets' top unit got hot with Gaudreau playing the left, Yegor Chinakhov on the right and rookie Kent Johnson in the middle. The Blue Jackets went 5 for 15 in that span and the bulk of the goals were scored by the top unit.
It's a pressing issue that needs to be resolved for the Blue Jackets to stay competitive this season and become dangerous in the seasons ahead with Laine and Gaudreau both locked into multi-year deals.
— Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen didn't travel with the team Monday, instead staying in Columbus an extra day with an illness. He traveled to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday to run the Columbus bench. Had Larsen not been healthy enough, associate head coach Pascal Vincent would've stepped up to handle that role.
— Rookie goalie Daniil Tarasov was recalled Monday from the Cleveland Monsters and rookie goalie Jet Greaves was reassigned to the Monsters. Greaves backed up Elvis Merzlikins for one game in the Blue Jackets' 6-5 overtime win Sunday against the Los Angeles Kings . Tarasov is expected to start the final leg of the three-game trip Saturday afternoon in Boston.
— Jack Roslovic finished the game, but a blocked a shot late in the first period caused him to hobble off the ice. The puck struck hit his left knee, causing Roslovic to head straight to the bench and then locker room for treatment. The Blue Jackets still have seven players out with health issues, so losing a No. 2 center who's just starting to heat up isn't something they could afford at this point.
"Uh, no, not really. I don't think they're that understanding."
— Christiansen on whether he tried to plead his case with the Panthers that his hit on Tierney was clean.
"It's one of those things where you've got to be careful because it's a small sample size, but I've been very impressed with how he's handled himself. ... He's checked a lot of the boxes, put it that way, with his reads, his ability to take in information, his compete level and then his execution."
— Larsen on rookie defenseman Tim Berni , who played just the fifth game of his NHL career.
"Patty, when he's calm, I would call it that 'killer instinct' he has. You don't really see it until he starts scoring, so it's great to see him calm and in that mindset. It's easy to play with."
— Blue Jackets center Jack Roslovic on playing with Patrik Laine as the right wing on his forward line.
"I've bonded quite a bit with my staff and the players. I'd like to get some wins. I'm looking for to getting that hopefully."
— Larsen, when asked Sunday if the Blue Jackets' first multi-game road trip since playing Nov. 4-5 in Finland might be good for building chemistry.
"I had three kids when I was with that organization, so I kind of grew up a little bit. I enjoyed my time there. Obviously, getting reunited with Torts was good too. I still keep in touch with a lot of those guys, so it was a special time for me, for sure."
— Florida Panthers forward Zac Dalpe on spending five years (2017-2021) on the Blue Jackets' organizational depth chart.
Forwards
Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Gustav Nyquist
Yegor Chinakhov – Jack Roslovic – Patrik Laine
Kent Johnson – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
Defensemen
Vladislav Gavrikov – Marcus Bjork
Tim Berni – Erik Gudbranson
Jake Christiansen – Andrew Peeke
Goalies
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Scratched:F Liam Foudy , F Carson Meyer , D Gavin Bayreuther
Injured:D Zach Werenski (shoulder), F Justin Danforth (shoulder), D Jake Bean (shoulder), D Adam Boqvist (broken foot), D Nick Blankenburg (broken ankle/high-ankle sprain), F Jakub Voracek (concussion), G Joonas Korpisalo (lower body).
A quick trip North is next for the Blue Jackets, who play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Amalie Arena for the second leg of a three-game road trip.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets shut out by Sergei Bobrovsky
