Columbus Blue Jackets Give Away Goals, Two Points to Rangers
The Columbus Blue Jackets lose a Metropolitan match up against the New York Rangers 3-2. The home loss was one of the season’s toughest L’s to take.
Nationwide Arena and NBCSN got a great game last night, just not the result the Columbus Blue Jackets faithful were hoping to see. The New York Rangers came into Central Ohio and were gifted three goals and the win.
The Blue Jackets dominated possession throughout the entire game and generated great scoring opportunities as well. The CBJ outshot the Rangers 32-23 and posted a dominate 57.5% Corsi For. All the possession in the world isn’t enough to overcome untimely giveaways and great goaltending.
Antti Raanta was on fire and make some spectacular saves, 30 in all. His play is not to be diminished looking back on this game. But the Jackets made critical, self inflicted errors that cost them this game.
Columbus Blue Jackets
“Free Stuff”
What John Tortorella called “free stuff” in the post game press conference is what killed the Jackets. Coming out of the second intermission, the CBJ started on the power play but came out with a lack of energy. New York won the face off and brought the puck into the offensive zone. Following a series of uninspired attempts to win the puck back, Dan Girardi wristed a shot that went off Zack Werenski’s skate and into the net. It was the first shorthanded goal Columbus has given up this year.
The third period saw the worst of the give away goals. Jack Johnson made an awful pass across center ice to David Savard who was draped by Kevin Hayes. The careless pass led to an easy breakaway that Hayes put five-hole on Sergei Bobrovsky. Whether Johnson didn’t see Hayes or he just made a terrible decision doesn’t matter. In a 1-1 game, errors like that are deathblows.
The Jackets fought through the two early mistakes though. Following the bonehead pass, the Jackets proceeded to dominate the game again. The attacking play eventually led to a Nick Foligino goal with less than 10 minutes left in the game.
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Less than two minutes later, Jimmy Vesey put a backhanded shot from the lower right circle past Bob. The sharp angle, backhanded shot caught Bob off guard and it slipped between his left shoulder and the post for the game winning goal.
No Time for Second Thoughts
The Jackets will practice Tuesday and move forward to their next home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mistakes cost the team valuable home points in a divisional rivalry game but there will be no time to dwell on that.
Costly, self inflicted wounds are what killed the Jackets last night. Even though Raanta played incredibly well and made some mind blowing saves, Columbus did enough to win the game. When the Jackets play with the energy and intensity they did last night, it is about the only thing that can kill them.