FINAL: Red Wings 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT)

The Blue Jackets dropped a 3-2 game in overtime at Detroit on Tuesday evening at Little Caesars Arena.
Game in a Paragraph
After a scoreless first period, Columbus found itself in a hole going to the third period for the first time this year as Detroit rallied to take a 2-1 lead into the third. The Blue Jackets tied the score early in the frame, and neither team could get anything more from there in a very even game. That meant overtime, where it took Detroit's Tyler Bertuzzi just 15 seconds to get the winner when the puck bounced into the net off his breezers.

Quote of the Game
CBJ head coach John Tortorella: "There wasn't much offense by either team. The past couple of games right on through tonight, we just haven't developed enough. It's been sloppy."
CBJ Standouts

Quick Recap
There wasn't much to say about a fast first period that didn't include many chances for either squad. The best scoring chance came late in the frame as Detroit defenseman Danny DeKeyser fired through a screen on the rush and hit the crossbar, as CBJ goalie Elvis Merzlikins never saw the shot, but the rebound deflected out of play and thus out of harm's way.
Things opened up some in the second, starting with Jenner getting on the board just 1:38 into the period to start the scoring. On the rush, he took a pass from Domi, got into the left circle and unleashed a wrist shot that went over the far-side glove of goalie Jonathan Bernier, off the bar and into the net.
But Detroit had the answer, taking a 2-1 lead with a pair of goals. The Red Wings quickly responded to Jenner's goal on the power play at 3:37, completing a long shift in the CBJ end when a shot by Dylan Larkin deflected to Anthony Mantha, who quickly buried the rebound past Merzlikins from the right circle. Then at 14:17, the Wings took a 2-1 lead when Jon Merrill's shot from the center point off a draw deflected on the way to the net, but Bobby Ryan pounced on the rebound and sent the rolling puck fluttering over Merzlikins' shoulder.
Bernier also stood tall in the frame, making a breakaway save on Eric Robinson when the speedy CBJ winger got a shorthanded chance and also stopping Oliver Bjorkstrand with the glove when The Maestro let his patented wrister go from low in the left circle.
Columbus switched up the lines and had a good start to the third, with Texier's goal at 5:04 of the frame making it a 2-2 contest. Texier fired a long one-timer from the top of the zone, and the puck deflected off the leg of Detroit defenseman Marc Staal and went into the net. The goal was at one point credited to CBJ rookie Liam Foudy but was changed upon review, with Foudy getting an assist instead of his first NHL regular-season tally.
Both teams had moments of pressure the rest of the period, but neither could get the puck in the net, leading to each team's first overtime game of the season. It didn't last long, as Detroit earned an odd-man rush to start overtime, and Merzlikins stopped Larkin's shot only to see the rebound carom off Bertuzzi's pants and into the net to give the Wings a 3-2 win.
3 Takeaways
1. Offensive issues: Four goals, eight goals. As much as the talk going into the season was that Columbus was hoping to make some tactical changes to encourage offense, the result so far has been 2.00 goals per game, a drop from last year's 27th-place mark of 2.57. Of course, it's still early, and things will certainly improve. The question is how much. Tortorella has been searching for answers, repeatedly switching up the team's lines, which he did again late in the second period and into the third period of this one. It's a chicken or the egg scenario, with the team just struggling to get anything going; is it because not enough time is being given to create chemistry, or do you keep changing things up until you find chemistry? As for the changes, Foudy said, "It doesn't bother myself personally. It's early in the season. That's what usually happens. You have to try to find chemistry in games with different lines and stuff. It's understandable."
2. Sloppy start: Tortorella said it in the lead quote above -- the games have been sloppy, and he's not lying. There really hasn't been any rhythm for either team in the Jackets' four games so far. The shortened training camps and lack of preseason games probably haven't helped, and this seems to be a league-wide phenomenon, so it's just something the Jackets have to live with. But it also makes it difficult to suss out the root of any issues, and very odd puck luck hasn't exactly helped. The good news is that water will eventually reach its level. In the meantime, "I think we have to be a lot better in a lot of areas of our game," Jenner said. "We have to be a lot better to give ourselves a better chance there."
3. For all the searching for consistency the team has done so far, it was an overtime away from being .500 heading home after its season-opening road trip, but one of the weirdest overtime goals you'll ever see was the difference. To start, both Max Domi and Cam Atkinson aggressively forechecked a loose puck after Detroit won the faceoff, but when the Jackets couldn't gain possession, Detroit had an odd-man rush. Credit to Merzlikins for making the initial save on Wings captain Larkin, but he had little chance on controlling the rebound, which went right into Bertuzzi and into the net. It was oddly similar to the game-ending goal Merzlikins gave up in his second start last year in Chicago, as the Blackhawks won when Merzlikins made a save but the rebound bounced in off Jonathan Toews. "It's just how it is right now," Texier said.
Notable
Jenner has a 4-3-7 line in his last six games vs. Detroit. He previously had been tied with Brandon Dubinsky for sixth in franchise history in points before breaking the tie with the goal. … Merzlikins finished with 24 saves on 27 shots on goal, while Bernier had 22 saves on 24 shots. ... Detroit's second-period power-play goal was the first allowed by Columbus this year. The Blue Jackets' PK had been 8-for-8 entering the game. … Ryan is the first player ever with four goals in his first three games with Detroit. … Columbus fell to 22-4-3 vs. Detroit since March 17, 2011, including an 12-1-1 mark since the start of the 2016-17 season. The Jackets are also 9-0-2 in Detroit since October 2013. … Columbus is now 0-2-1 when scoring first this year and 1-0 when giving up the first goal.
Roster Report
The Blue Jackets used the same 18-skater lineup as the first three games, with the only change the return of Merzlikins in net. Forward Kevin Stenlund and defensemen Scott Harrington and Gabriel Carlsson were healthy scratches.
Up Next
After four games to start the season on the road, the Blue Jackets head back to Columbus and will enjoy the home ice of Nationwide Arena for the first time Thursday night vs. Tampa Bay.