Thursday night, the Blue Jackets saw just how quickly a game can turn in a 6-3 loss at Edmonton.
After the teams played an even first period that ended 1-1, Columbus gave up three goals in the first seven minutes of the middle frame and four goals overall in the period to trail 5-2 after 40 minutes. From there, the game was largely academic, as the Blue Jackets were unable to bounce back from the three-goal deficit on the way to losing their second straight.
It all started when one of the game’s top players, Connor McDavid, set up one of its top snipers, Leon Draisaitl, for a goal just 2:22 into the frame. The Blue Jackets challenged for goaltender interference and lost, with Edmonton following with a goal on the ensuing power play to double the lead. An odd-man rush goal at 6:53 then made it a three-goal contest, and the Oilers were off and running.
It was an example of how a lot of factors can turn a close game into one you’re chasing, as the Oilers’ superstars made a difference, a break went against the CBJ with the failed challenge, Columbus lost the special teams battle, and goalie Daniil Tarasov gave up six goals in his first start in nearly three weeks.
“They scored on a power play there, and we didn’t get a goal on ours,” defenseman Damon Severson said postgame. “It’s a little bit of a difference. A little bit of our forecheck wasn’t quite as good sometimes letting them come through the neutral zone with speed. But they just played with the puck more, it seemed like, and they played in our zone a lot longer. We had to defend a lot longer than they did.”
Head coach Dean Evason had been worried about his team’s energy level in its shutout loss Tuesday at Calgary, but the Blue Jackets had jump early on in Edmonton. They’ll try to find that again with a quick turnaround as the team flew even further west to Vancouver after the loss.
“We started correctly,” Evason said. “We played hard. We played well. Obviously a big moment in the game with the goalie challenge. It’s a 1-1 hockey game, and by the end of the whole sequence, it’s 3-1.”
Know The Foe: Vancouver Canucks
Head coach: Rick Tocchet (Third season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 3.25 (11th) | Scoring defense: 3.17 (24th) | PP: 23.3 percent (11th) | PK: 80.8 percent (10th)
The narrative: Tocchet has brought a measure of respectability to a franchise that seemed to be foundering for a while, as Vancouver made the playoffs just once from 2016-23 before getting to the second round last year in Tocchet’s first full season. He’s 83-42-17 since taking over the Canucks, who again are in the mix in the Pacific Division.
Team leaders: Coming off of last season’s dominant Norris Trophy-winning campaign, Quinn Hughes is again filling up the scoresheet, leading Vancouver and placing second among all NHL defensemen with 29 points (six goals, 23 assists). He’s the straw that stirs the drink from the blue line, while up front, Elias Pettersson (7-16-23) and Conor Garland (8-14-22) are just short of a point-per-game pace. Jake DeBrusk leads the team with 11 goals in his first season in Vancouver.
In net, No. 1 Thatcher Demko is yet to play this season because of a knee injury but could be back in net as soon as tonight. In his stead, Kevin Lankinen has carried the load and is 12-3-3 with a 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage.
What's new: That the Canucks are in a top-three spot in the Pacific Division without Demko is a testament to the squad they’ve put together, and you’d have to think his return will give the squad a boost. They’re also currently without Ohio native J.T. Miller, who is fifth on the team in scoring but has taken a personal leave of absence, as well as defenseman Filip Hronek but still with points in five of the last six (4-1-1).
Trending: Columbus got three of four points in the season series last year, including a 5-4 overtime loss in Vancouver on Jan. 27. The past three years, Columbus has won all three home games in the series and lost all three on the road.
Former CBJ: There are no former Blue Jackets on the squad, but Columbus-area native Kiefer Sherwood has posted a 6-6-12 line.
