Blue Jackets breakdown: Fourth line, Korpisalo pave way against Canadiens
It wasn't the cleanest game for the Blue Jackets or Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, but it was exciting.
It was, however, a second consecutive victory and fourth straight game with a point for the Blue Jackets (6-9-1), who won 6-4 after scoring four of six combined goals in the third period. Sean Kuraly, Mathieu Olivier and their fourth line with Eric Robinson led the way, as Kuraly scored twice in the third and Olivier scored his first of the season for a 5-3 lead with 8:51 left in the period.
Kuraly, who scored his second goal into an empty net, finished with three points on two goals and one assist. Joonas Korpisalo made 38 saves against 42 shots for the win.
"This wasn't pretty tonight at all, but you have to win ugly in this league at times" Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "I thought 'Korpi' was outstanding. He didn't have a ton of work in the first. He made some good saves, but the second and third he was busy. He was way too busy for my liking, but I don't think it was for a lack of (trying). For whatever reason, it felt like we had one of those grenades with the pin pulled and we were just throwing it back and forth to each other."
Montreal (8-8-1) got goals from Jordan Harris, former Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki. Samuel Montembeault started in net and allowed five goals on 28 shots.
Here’s a breakdown:
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens: key moments
— Columbus took advantage of a disjointed first period for both teams, building a 2-0 lead on the goals by Sillinger and Nyquist. Sillinger’s was aided by a friendly bounce off the leg of Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris into the net and Nyquist one-timed a shot past Montembeault off a nice diagonal feed from Gavin Bayreuther.
— Montreal tied it 2-2 with the goals by Harris and Anderson in the final 6:25 of the second. Anderson’s was a gut punch against his former team, scored with 2.1 seconds left after getting the puck off a faceoff in the Columbus zone. The ensuing faceoff also provided sparks when Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier and Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj squared off after the puck dropped, ending the period with a volley of haymakers.
"I felt like the second was kind of slipping away from us," Olivier said. "I missed a (shot) on the post earlier and you're No. 1 goal is to contribute. But if you can't get any goals on the board and you feel like the team's slipping, you've got to do something different. I knew he was a young guy. I knew he was a very tough kid and was a guy who was willing to do it. It just felt like it was the right time to do it, he was there and said 'yes' right away."
— Things got a little crazy in the third after Jenner put the Blue Jackets up 3-2 with a slow-developing "Tic Tac Toe" goal to cap a 3-on-1 with Johnny Gaudreau and Kent Johnson. The teams combined to score four goals, two each way, in a 1:50 span. Gallagher and Suzuki scored goals that were sandwiched around two fourth-line goals for the Blue Jackets scored by Kuraly and Olivier. Suzuki's goal was just eight seconds after Olivier scored, pulling Montreal within 5-4 with 8:43 left in the period.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens notes
— The Blue Jackets added two more names to the injury report Thursday. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins is expected to miss up to two weeks with a lower-body injury and defenseman Jake Bean was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury that has him out indefinitely.
Emil Bemstrom, who missed practice Wednesday while being examined for a lower-body injury, played against the Canadiens after being listed as a gametime decision.
— Jack Roslovic returned to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers as a healthy scratch. The 25-year old forward started out centering the Blue Jackets’ third line, skating with Liam Foudy and rookie Kent Johnson. He finished the game stapled to the bench for the final nine minutes of the third period along with Foudy and Bemstrom, who was replaced on the top line in the third by rookie Kent Johnson.
— Montreal’s sloppy play in the first led to three breakaways for the Blue Jackets, who went 0 for 3 when Montembeault stopped shots by Liam Foudy, Yegor Chinakhov and Boone Jenner.
— The Blue Jackets haven't lost imn regulation to the Canadiens since Feb. 19, 2019 in Montreal, going 8-0-1 in that span.
Quotable: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens
"When you've got someone on our line like that, it goes through our whole group, there's no question. That's a spark we needed at the right time and, per usual, a heavy hitter on the other side."
— Kuraly on Olivier's fight with Xhekaj after Anderson's goal in the waning seconds of the second.
“No, I don’t have any second thoughts. I love it here. Obviously, it’s a tough start to the season for our team, but I just did an interview the other day and said I wouldn’t trade my decision for the world. I love it here.”
"It was up and down for me. There were some plays I'd like to have back out there, a couple plays that I thought I saw and made a mistake. You keep playing. That's why I was happy. We just kept playing and if you keep trying to do things the right way, it'll go your way. That's what happened tonight. It doesn't happen every night, but finally it happened tonight."
— Kuraly on a turbulent performance that finished with a flurry.
— Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau on signing with the Blue Jackets in July and stunning many in the NHL as an unrestricted free agent.
“We’ve talked about Jack for two straight days. He’s going to go play tonight, so we’ll see. That’s where we’re at with him.”
— Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen on center Jack Roslovic, who was a healthy scratch Tuesday against the Flyers.
“I was more of an offensive guy when I was younger and to make it to the NHL, I needed to be a more physical defenseman. I’m a big guy and … why don’t I use it every time I can? That’s been the biggest development thing the last two years.”
— Blue Jackets rookie Marcus Bjork, who signed with the Blue Jackets in the offseason as a free agent from the Swedish Hockey League.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens: analysis
Much like a lot of opposing teams this season, the Canadiens gained strength against the Blue Jackets as the game progressed. They finished with a dominant statistical advantage, but lost as the result of Korpisalo’s work in the Columbus net and the Jackets’ fourth line scoring timely goals in the third.
Here’s a look at the statistical breakdown via Natural Stat Trick:
Shots: Canadiens 42, Blue Jackets 29 (59.2%)
Shot attempts: Canadiens 72, Blue Jackets 57 (55.8%)
Scoring chances: Canadiens 39, Blue Jackets 29 (57.4%)
High-danger chances: Canadiens 12, Blue Jackets 10 (54.6%)
Power plays: Blue Jackets 0/1, Canadiens 1/3
Faceoffs: Blue Jackets 35/68 (51%), Canadiens 33/68 (49%)
Hits: Blue Jackets 18, Canadiens 8
Blocked shots: Blue Jackets 18, Canadiens 18
Up next for the Columbus Blue Jackets
A tough weekend back-to-back awaits, as the Detroit Red Wings and Florida Panthers visit Nationwide Arena for games Saturday and Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets stave off Montreal Canadiens in third period
