Blue Jackets rebound from 2-0 deficit but come up short to Golden Knights in shootout

In a game where the Blue Jackets and the Vegas Golden Knights were evenly matched by nearly every metric throughout the night, it was only fitting that it took a seven-round shootout to, at long last, decide a winner.

Shot attempts in Monday night's game favored the Blue Jackets 51-50, while Vegas had a slight edge in shots on goal, 28-25. At five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick, the Golden Knights generated 2.3 expected goals to Columbus' 2.22.

Sixty-five minutes weren't enough for one team to emerge victorious, and it took until the seventh round of the shootout for Vegas to score the deciding goal and win 3-2. The Blue Jackets stopped a two-game losing streak and earned one point by taking the game to overtime, giving them 16 points from their 7-12-2 record.

"Great effort. I've got zero, zero issue with our play tonight," coach Brad Larsen said. "I thought it was a real good game."

The Golden Knights took advantage of two strong shifts in a row late in the first period. Their second line of Reilly Smith, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault, with defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb, maintained possession in the Blue Jackets' defensive zone and were rewarded with a goal after the puck bounced around the slot and off defenseman Jake Christiansen's foot, eventually ending up in the net.

And on the next shift, just 56 seconds later, William Carrier's shot sailed past goaltender Daniil Tarasov as Tarasov fought to see through Andrew Peeke and Jake Leschyshyn, who were battling for position in front of the crease.

In the second period, Johnny Gaudreau, who was a game-time decision after missing Sunday's practice and Monday's morning skate with an illness, got the Blue Jackets on the board following an extended shift in the offensive zone. Columbus held the puck for nearly 90 seconds, cycling it through the zone and putting pressure on the Vegas skaters.

Gaudreau had a chance to score early in the shift as he cut toward the net and sent a backhand shot toward goaltender Logan Thompson, but Thompson made the save. One minute and 20 seconds later, Gaudreau fired a one-timer from the right faceoff circle for the Blue Jackets' first goal of the game.

The Blue Jackets tied the game on a goal from Boone Jenner, set up by Gaudreau, with 7:49 left in the third period. Neither team could break through in overtime. It wasn't until the seventh round of the shootout that Vegas earned the second point behind a goal from Paul Cotter, who played a game-low 9:36 but stepped up to score the shootout winner.

Here's a breakdown of the game.

Key moments from Blue Jackets' 3-2 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights

— The Blue Jackets went on the penalty kill just 3:37 into the first period as Gaudreau was whistled for holding. Vegas entered the game at 21.2% on the power play this season, and the Golden Knights easily could've put Columbus in an early hole. But Vegas struggled to get set up in the offensive zone and the Blue Jackets' penalty kill allowed just one shot on goal, which set the tone for the rest of the night.

— Gaudreau's second-period goal came on a lengthy offensive zone shift, a kind of shift the Blue Jackets have put together multiple times this season but all too often have been unable to capitalize on. This time, though, Columbus wore down the Vegas skaters and were able to get the puck into the net. It was a particularly impressive shift for Gaudreau, who only skated 4:19 in the first period and was visibly less than 100% healthy.

"(We) tired them out and (we) felt like (we) had them broken down, and it's in that second period so they can't change," Larsen said. "To finish on that, that was huge."

— On the power play late in the second period, Vegas generated two odd-man rushes by stealing the puck at the blue line, forcing Tarasov to make several key saves to keep the game at 2-1. His first save in the sequence, on a two-on-one break, elicited gasps from the crowd of 13,771 at Nationwide Arena, many of whom weren't quite sure how the puck stayed out of the net.

For the second save, as Jack Eichel moved in alone with Yegor Chinakhov desperately chasing him down, Tarasov showed off a touch of showman flair.

— Two missed chances, one early in the third period and one in overtime, will haunt the Blue Jackets. With 14:46 left in the third period, Jack Roslovic stared down a wide-open net as he corralled a rebound from a shot by Christiansen, but he sent the puck high and into the netting.

— Gustav Nyquist nearly ended the game about halfway through three-on-three overtime, but Thompson stopped Nyquist's backhander and prevented the Blue Jackets from taking the win.

"I just have to be better there," Nyquist said. "I have to score. That's the game right there. We did a good job, we kept them on the right side of the puck and held the puck most of the time. Got a chance at the end, but couldn't bury it."

Up next for the Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets have a scheduled day off Tuesday and return to the ice for two days of practice Wednesday and Thursday before traveling to Winnipeg. They play the Jets on Friday at 8 p.m. ET and return to Nationwide Arena to host the Red Wings on Sunday at 6 p.m.

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@BaileyAJohnson_

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets erase deficit to Vegas Golden Knights, lose shootout