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Columbus Blue Jackets grind out point in Johnny Gaudreau's return to Calgary
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- Columbus Blue Jackets grind out point in Johnny Gaudreau's return to Calgary
CALGARY, Alberta — The atmosphere at Scotiabank Saddledome was unlike anything the Blue Jackets had experienced this season.
It was charged inside one of the NHL's oldest arenas and filled with nervous anticipation. It was also sentimental for a moment, but mostly hostile for Johnny Gaudreau's first trip back to the city where he became an NHL star in nine seasons with the Calgary Flames . This was a stage the injured, struggling Blue Jackets just don't get that much and they mustered enough resolve to push the Flames to the brink of defeat in a 4-3 overtime loss that was filled with energy.
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"I thought we played well," said Gaudreau, who finished with two assists while getting booed by Flames fans most of the night. "We grinded all the way to the end. I'm proud of our guys. We worked hard against a good team, so it was fun."
Dillon Dube 's goal to cap a 2-on-1 rush 2:25 into overtime won it for Calgary (23-16-9), which got goals in regulation from Walker Duehr, Nazem Kadri and Andrew Mangiapane . Columbus had goals from rookie Kirill Marchenko, Patrik Laine and Boone Jenner — whose 13thgoal of the season tied it 3-3 at 4:34 of the third.
Joonas Korpisalo ( 45 saves) was outstanding for the Blue Jackets (14-30-3), keeping them close with help the team's 2-for-4 showing on power plays in a game they were nearly doubled up in shots (49-25). Gaudreau finished with two points on two power-play assists, Laine had three points (goal, two assists) and Jenner put a team-high seven shots on goal, all with the united goal of silencing the boos.
Ultimately that didn't happen after the Flames took advantage of an uncalled hooking minor in OT that yanked Laine to the ice, but the young Blue Jackets might've found a building block by rallying for Gaudreau.
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"You don't get too many of these during the regular season," Laine said. "I mean, I've been fortunate enough to be in a conference final and it gets pretty crazy, but during the regular season? It doesn't get like this all the time. It's like we talked about before the game. We've just got to enjoy it and embrace this moment that we're going to be in this building, especially with Johnny coming back. It was a great experience as a teammate."
Calgary Flames fans give Columbus Blue Jackets' Johnny Gaudreau cheers, jeers
During a stoppage in the first, Gaudreau watched from the bench as a 'welcome back' montage played on the scoreboard video screens.
Loud booing filled the arena as it began, but was replaced by cheering as some of Gaudreau's most memorable moments from his Flames career were shown. It grew into a standing ovation that lasted just long enough for Gaudreau to acknowledge it before the booing returned, which perfectly captured the love/hate relationship that now exists between Calgary and Gaudreau.
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"It was great," Gaudreau said. "I definitely heard (the cheering) over the boos, for the most part. It felt pretty nice to see everyone standing up and clapping their hands and cheering for me, and then … five seconds afterward they start the booing again. It's what I expected coming here. They're passionate fans. I loved it. It was a special night."
Gaudreau also had an eventful game.
He finished with five shots, a game-high 11 attempts and was awarded a penalty shot 5:14 into the game after he was hooked by Chris Tanev on a breakaway. Gaudreau's attempt sailed wide of the right post to keep the game 0-0, but he was just getting warmed up.
Gaudreau also zipped two pinpoint cross-ice passes for power-play goals in the second by Marchenko and Laine to pull Columbus even at 2-2 and then tipped a shot off the goalpost at 9:22 of the third that could've put the Blue Jackets up 4-3. In OT, Mangiapane hooked Laine to the ice and tripped up Gaudreau without a whistle to gain the puck and turn it into the 2-on-1 rush that led to Dube's winner.
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It was a sour ending for Gaudreau, who could only watch as the game's final shot beat Korpisalo. The Blue Jackets were also displeased with a delay-of-game penalty late in the third for having too many men on the ice, which coach Brad Larsen took issue with after the game.
"I'll let you look at it," he said to a reporter who asked if he'd reviewed the penalty on video. "If you tell me that's too many men, I'll buy you lunch. (Mangiapane in OT) reaches around and gets (Laine's) glove, but I'm not going to complain about the officiating. They're not out there trying to make mistakes. They're doing the best they can, so it is what it is."
Johnny Gaudreau faces the boos against Calgary Flames
The booing of Gaudreau started early.
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In fact, courtesy of his own team, it echoed throughout Saddledome during the Blue Jackets' morning skate whenever he touched the puck to providing a preview of the main event.
"That was funny, just to lighten the mood a little bit," Gaudreau said, while seated in front of a packed media room for a morning press conference. "I could barely stickhandle I was laughing so hard going up and down the ice. They did something in the middle (of the ice). Lars said, 'Get it out of the way now,' and they just kind of ran with it every time I touched it."
Flames fans did the same hours later, cascading boos down at their former star in his first return to the place he called home for nine years to start his NHL career. It wasn't a surprise to Gaudreau, who heaped plaudits on his former team and Calgary as a city.
"They're a passionate fanbase here," Gaudreau said. "That's why I loved playing here. I don't expect anything else. We had some good times here, but the way they supported our team and supported our players, it was awesome to be part of it. They love their Flames and I'm not on the Flames anymore. I'm on the other team. So, I get it. But that's what made it so special to play here."
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Since signing a seven-year deal worth $68.25 million with the Blue Jackets , Gaudreau has answered numerous questions about his surprising decision and the logic behind it. Still, there remains an avid curiosity about it among Canadian media — particularly those in Calgary — that borders on angst.
There was zero chance he'd leave without answering it again.
"It was a great opportunity for me and my family," Gaudreau said. "I've got a growing family now, so we have that distance where we can kind of do our own thing (in Columbus), but it's close enough where our families can just walk in the door. I don't know how many times I've seen my dad just walk in the door, not knowing he was going to show up, and just show up out of the blue. He's been loving that, but that was important for me."
Columbus Blue Jackets shorten bench against Calgary Flames
Larsen used only three of his forward lines in the third, which began with the Flames protecting a 3-2 lead. He didn't use Jack Roslovic , Emil Bemstrom and Mathieu Olivier in the final 20 minutes or overtime.
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Roslovic started the game centering the top line with Gaudreau and Laine, but was replaced by Jenner after struggling with turnovers and puck battles. He was assessed one giveaway on a stat line that was otherwise blank except for a –1 plus/minus and 3 for 9 (33%) performance on faceoffs.
Bemstrom didn't register a stat other than his 6:18 of ice time through the first two periods and Olivier played only 4:37 on eight shifts, sitting the remainder of the game after taking several hard punches to the face in a fight with Calgary's Milan Lucic at 11:07 of the second, 1:11 after Laine tied the game 2-2 on the second Columbus power-play goal.
It's unknown whether injuries from the fight contributed to Olivier's seat on the bench, but Larsen clearly wasn't happy with how often the Blue Jackets coughed up the puck in their own zone. Korpisalo nixed most of the glaring errors, but Kadri and Mangiapane scored with turnaround wrist shots from the slot to make Columbus pay for two bad turnovers.
"We had some puck management issues, no question, but (Calgary) does that to you too," Larsen said. "They're a big, strong team and they force you into some of those plays."
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Columbus Blue Jackets lineup at Calgary Flames
Forwards
Johnny Gaudreau – Jack Roslovic – Patrik Laine
Gustav Nyquist – Boone Jenner – Kent Johnson
Kirill Marchenko – Cole Sillinger – Emil Bemstrom
Eric Robinson – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier
Defensemen
Vladislav Gavrikov – Adam Boqvist
Nick Blankenburg – Andrew Peeke
Goalies
Scratched:F Liam Foudy , D Gavin Bayreuther
Injury/illness:F Yegor Chinakhov (ankle), D Zach Werenski (shoulder), F Justin Danforth (shoulder), D Jake Bean (shoulder), F Jakub Voracek (concussion).
Up next for the Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets head North to Edmonton to face the Edmonton Oilers and superstar Connor McDavid on Wednesday at Rogers Place in their second game of a four-game trip.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets unable to give Gaudreau win in Calgary
