ST. PAUL, Minn. — After accepting the Blue Jackets' offer as head coach, Dean Evason knew Thursday's season-opener at Xcel Energy Center loomed.
His new team just so happened to have his former team, the Minnesota Wild , first on the schedule ― and a road matchup to boot. Evason, who coached the Wild for 251 games over three seasons, was replaced early last season during a rough stretch. Now, he's running the bench for a team mourning the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew , and no longer has captain Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery).
The matchup carried added meaning for Evason, but it just didn't quite work out the way the Blue Jackets planned in a 3-2 loss, giving the Wild (1-0-0) a late scare on Zach Werenski 's power play goal with 2:54 left to play.
It's quite a way for the Jackets' new coach to start out.
Despite flashes of brilliance and a strong late push, the Blue Jackets (0-1-0) took a tough loss in their first of 82 games. They created several great scoring chances in the first two periods, got within a goal late in the third thanks to Werenski and just couldn't beat goalie Filip Gustavsson (30 saves) in the waning seconds.
Next for Columbus is an even tougher matchup Saturday in Denver against Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche , perennial Stanley Cup contenders.
Just when it looked like the Wild might cruise home with a two-goal victory, the Blue Jackets made them pay for a delay-of-game penalty taken by Jake Middleton , who shot the puck over the glass from his own zone with 3:10 left in the third.
Werenski, using a higher flex number and new curve on his stick this season, buried a slapper 16 seconds into the ensuing power play to get the Blue Jackets within a goal.
"That's part of an emphasis for me right now, at the start of the season, is just get pucks to the net," Werenski said. "Take them there and just see what happens. It's nice to get one there, but it would've been better to get the win."
Werenski's goal sparked a fevered push from the Blue Jackets looking for an equalizer in the final two-plus minutes. Gustavsson made several huge saves throughout the game, but none bigger than sliding over with 10 seconds left to soak up Kirill Marchenko 's wrist shot from 41 feet out.
The Jackets nearly sprung Sean Monahan from the penalty box, but Zuccarello wouldn't let it happen. The veteran right wing gave the Wild a 3-1 lead at 9:58 with 10 seconds left on Monahan's cross-checking penalty. Minnesota's passing inside the Jackets' zone was exemplary, getting Merzlikins to move side-to-side before Zuccarello finally slid one past him from the right circle.
Boldy assisted for his third point of the game (one goal, two assists). Boldy also scored two goals for the Wild the last time they faced the Blue Jackets last season at Nationwide Arena, helping Minnesota win that one 5-4 in overtime.
The goal put the Blue Jackets in a tough spot with only half a period left.
Columbus received a brief injury scare early in the stanza as Zach Aston-Reese went crashing into the end boards behind Minnesota's net, but he eventually skated off under his own power. Minnesota is still up 2-1.
Columbus is outshooting Minnesota 23-18 after 40 minutes, but trails by a goal thanks to Van Riemsdyk's overturned power-play tally that was overturned by a coach's challenge and Eriksson Ek 's late goal.
The Wild capitalized on the overturned goal for the Blue Jackets by taking a 2-1 lead late in the second period on a goal by center Joel Eriksson Ek. Columbus failed to clear its own zone, leaving a loose puck that was scooped by the Wild and sent to Eriksson Ek for a wrist shot that beat Merzlikins with 3:25 left in the period.
The Blue Jackets briefly took a 2-1 lead late in a power play at 10:24 of the second period on a goal by James van Riemsdyk, who skated in front of the crease and had Damon Severson 's shot from above the right circle deflect off him into the net.
Wild coach John Hynes challenged the play for goaltender interference and successfully got it overturned upon review of the play. Replays showed Van Riemsdyk did make contact with goalie Filip Gustavsson's right leg, but it also looked like the Wild's netminder initiated contact by pushing his leg outside the crease — sending the Blue Jackets power forward to the ice.
"It certainly could've went either way," Evason said. "We're not going to argue it, obviously. It was so close, and we've seen it both ways. That was a break that went against us, but what we liked about the group is that we didn't sag after that. It wasn't like, 'Oh, my god, what's going on?' Or, 'What happened?' We just continued to play, and I was proud of the group after that moment."
An in-house video feed showed a close up of Van Riemsdyk seated on the bench after watching the replay. He appeared to say to a teammate, "Is that bad?"
Apparently, yes, and the game remains knotted 1-1.
Kent Johnson could be primed for a big breakout for the Blue Jackets after averaging a point-per-game in the preseason. Just two minutes into the second period against the Wild, he tied it 1-1 with a beautiful turnaround wrist shot from the slot. Cole Sillinger and Damon Severson picked up their first points of the new season with assists on Johnson's goal.
The goal is Johnson's second in five career games against Minnesota. He's currently slotted into the Blue Jackets' third line with Sillinger and rookie Mikael Pyyhtia on the left wing. Evason and assistant Mike Haviland have started Johnson in that spot primarily because they liked the chemistry between he and Sillinger during preseason games and practices.
Moments after Elvis Merzlikins kept it 0-0 with a fantastic stop against Mats Zuccarello, the Wild took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Matt Boldy with 2:09 left in the first period. Holding onto the puck on the right wing, Boldy fired a no-look laser into the top right corner of the net.
The puck sailed past a screen of Merzlikins by center Joel Eriksson Ek, who skated to that spot unchecked by Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov . Until the Wild rallied late, the opening frame was a good one for Columbus. Minnesota finished the period with a one-goal lead and 11-8 edge in shots, but the Blue Jackets held an 8-4 shot advantage at one point.
Cole Sillinger's hooking minor with 4:15 left negated a Blue Jackets power play and helped swing momentum in Minnesota's favor during the 4-on-4 time that followed. The Wild outshot the Jackets 7-2 in the last three minutes of the period.
The Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild went into their first TV stoppage tied 0-0 thanks to some nifty work by both goalies. The Jackets are off to a solid start, outshooting Minnesota 4-1 in those six-plus minutes. Here's tonight's lineup, including starters, scratches, coaches and officials:
Prior to the game, the Wild played an NHL produced video about the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on the large screen above the ice. After a voice from the lower bowl bellowed, "Love you, Johnny!" a 13-second moment of silence preceded the game's start.
This was the second time the Blue Jackets have viewed the NHL's video tribute and followed it with 13 seconds of silence. They did the same at Nationwide Arena prior to the first home preseason game there, and the Gaudreaus will be remembered again with a new salute prior to the Jackets' home opener Oct. 15 against the Florida Panthers .
The Blue Jackets only held an optional morning skate Thursday at Xcel Energy Center, so they didn't run through their expected forward lines or defensive pairs. During pregame warmups, they lined up the same during line rushes as they did in practices Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Scroll down this blog roll to see how it stacks up against the Wild.
Goalies for tonight's matchup feature Elvis Merzlikins for Columbus and Filip Gustavsson for Minnesota.
The Blue Jackets released an update on Boone Jenner during their morning press availability, relaying the captain had shoulder surgery Wednesday to repair an undisclosed injury that occurred last week during a fall into the boards. Jenner, 31, could be out five-to-six months if the injury was a labrum tear. He might also make it back in time fast enough to play in the Blue Jackets' outdoor game March 1 at OSU's Ohio Stadium.
"It's disappointing," Blue Jackets president of hockey operations/general manager Don Waddell said. "We're all disappointed. We're more disappointed for Boone. The team will continue to rally together. We've been thrown a few curveballs but we'll continue to rally. It's gonna give opportunity for other players. You like to find out what you have, not this way, but it is what it is. We give some of the young guys more opportunity and hopefully they can respond with it."
"I live for Johnny. It's a new season. He should be here. It's always gonna be tough. He's my best friend. That's something we were really looking forward to, and it's something that got taken away, so it's a tough one to still navigate."
― Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan on remembering Johnny Gaudreau , who was killed along with his brother, Matthew, as they rode bikes Aug. 29 in New Jersey. Monahan and the elder Gaudreau brother played nine seasons together with the Calgary Flames .
The two-game season series will conclude Saturday, Oct. 19 at Nationwide Arena.
Referees:Francois St. Laurent (8), Furman South (13)
Lines:Travis Gawryletz (67), Joe Mahon (89)
The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 p.m. ET at Xcel Energy Center.
The game will be broadcast by Bally Sports Ohio with Steve Mears on the play-by-play and former Blue Jackets forward Jody Shelley back for another season as color analyst. In the studio, Brian Giesenschlag returns as host of the Blue Jackets' pregame and postgame broadcasts, former Blue Jackets defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre is back at studio analyst and Dave Maetzold is the broadcast's rink-side reporter. Those outside the Blue Jackets' coverage market can watch games via ESPN+ Power Play.
Bob McGelligott is the radio voice of the Blue Jackets and his call, along with pregame and postgame shows featuring Dylan Tyrer, can be heard on stations in Ohio and West Virginia that are part of the Blue Jackets Radio Network. Locally, 97.1 The Fan is the flagship station for Blue Jackets broadcasts, while 93.3 FM The Bus is the Jackets' alternate home for programming conflicts.
Wild forwards
Kirill Kaprizov ― Marco Rossi — Mats Zuccarello
Marcus Johansson — Joel Eriksson Ek ― Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno ― Ryan Hartman — Yakov Trenin
Jakub Lauko — Marat Khusnutdinov ― Frederick Gaudreau
Wild defensive pairings
Jake Middleton ― Jared Spurgeon
Wild goalies
Filip Gustavsson
Scratched: Daemon Hunt , Liam Ohgren , Declan Chisholm (illness)
Here are projected forward lines, defensive pairings and starting goalies for the Blue Jackets and Wild in the season-opener for both teams Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center:
Blue Jackets forwards
Yegor Chinakhov ― Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk ― Adam Fantilli ― Kevin Labanc
Mikael Pyyhtia ― Cole Sillinger ― Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese ― Sean Kuraly ― Mathieu Olivier
Blue Jackets defensive pairings
Zach Werenski ― Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen ― Damon Severson
Jack Johnson ― Erik Gudbranson
Blue Jackets goalies
Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov
Scratched:F Dylan Gambrell , D Jordan Harris , D David Jiricek
Injured reserve:F Boone Jenner (shoulder), F Dmitry Voronkov (upper body), F Justin Danforth (wrist), F Gavin Brindley (fractured finger)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets one goal short in 3-2 opening loss Minnesota Wild
