Columbus Blue Jackets vs. San Jose Sharks Live Blog
Third Period
20:00 2-1
The third is underway!
18:23 2-1
BOBROVSKY! The Sharks had two awesome chances, and Bob made two HUGE saves to keep his team ahead. Once again, welcome back Bob! We missed you!
16:06 2-1
The Sharks lead in shots 27-18. They’ve had all 6 shots on net this period; the Jackets have yet to register one in the first four minutes.
15:33 2-1
Nick Foligno gets the Jackets’ first shot on net of the period, but is stopped point-blank by Niemi.
14:35 2-1
Cam went straight to the net and tried to shove one past Niemi but was stonewalled at the goal line. Shots now 27-20 Sharks.
13:39 2-1
Ryan Johansen had a great breakaway, but fired the puck right into Niemi’s glove. After the shot, he fell and crashed awkwardly into the net… He seemed to be in some difficulty getting off the ice. It looked like his leg hit the goal post. Please don’t be injured Joey… Please….
After the commercial break it was revealed that Joey’s knee made contact with the post. He didn’t go back to the locker room though, but he spent the time flexing his knee and testing it out. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
11:42 2-1
The Jackets are winning the face-off battle, being 27-17 in the circle so far tonight.
7:54 2-1
The Sharks had a great opportunity in front of the net, but Dalton Prout kept them from getting a shot. It might have been borderline slashing, but it didn’t get called so we’ll take it! Great defensive effort by Prouter, saved Bob from having to make a tough save.
5:20 2-1
Can I just point out that Bob has saved 29 of 31 shots? Pretty impressive for his first game back from injury. Actually, it’s pretty impressive anyway.
5:18 2-1
Delayed penalty called, the Sharks will maintain possession and keep the play going…
5:00 2-1
The Jackets touch up and go back on the penalty kill. This time, Alexander Wennberg has been assessed a double minor for high sticking, as he bloodied up Scott Hannan‘s face. The Jackets will now spend four of the last five minutes on the penalty kill… clinging on to a one goal lead….
3:34 2-1
Nick Foligno made a great play and cleared the puck.
3:19 2-1
BOB! He came up with another huge denial that sent the puck flying down the ice and out of the zone. Nice clear Bob!
2:28 2-1
BOB AGAIN! Bob comes up with yet another save, and this time he covers it up and forces a face-off to his left.
2:16 2-1
FOLIGNO! Nick has been big on defense on this kill, sending the puck down again.
1:56
Jenner sends the puck flying again. CBJ denying the Sharks any sustained pressure, it’s great defensive hockey! With the recent lack of PK success, this is fun to watch. Nerve-wracking, but fun!
1:05 2-1
BOB! Doesn’t get much better than Bobrovsky right now! His saves are nothing short of unbelievable; he’s the reason his team is still in this game!
1:00 2-1
Jenner comes out, the four minutes are over!
0:27.8 2-1
The Sharks’ net is empty! Jackets call a timeout.
0:08.1 2-1
Patrick Marleau tries to send the puck back into his offensive zone, but it goes onto his bench instead. Play stopped, SJS net still empty. Anisimov wins the all-important faceoff!
0:00 2-1
JACKETS WIIIIIIN! 2 IN A ROW!
Also Bob’s 100th career win! Congrats Bob!
END OF THIRD PERIOD: Final Score — Columbus Blue Jackets 2, San Jose Sharks 1
Third Period Thoughts: The Jackets have officially swept the 2014-15 series with the San Jose Sharks and won their second game in a row!
It’s nice to be back on the winning side of things, isn’t it? As the Jackets get more and more guys back from injury, they seem to be getting back to their style of play, and it’s paying off.
Overall, it was a good game for the Jackets. Although their puck possession left something to be desired throughout the game, they were physical all night long and kept up the speed and pressure they needed to win for the second night in a row.
Considering this was the second game of a back-to-back for the Jackets, they played fairly well. Killing off a 4-minue penalty under immense pressure to hold on to a one-goal lead with 5 minutes to go took a lot of effort, and the Jackets executed it to perfection.
They hardly gave the Sharks any chances to set up any kind of forecheck during the double minor, which was a dramatic difference from the lack of penalty killing effort we saw last night. It was a solid effort, and it lead to the Jackets coming away with two points for two straight nights in a row.
Now, the Jackets have two nights off before they head up to Ottawa on Tuesday. That game is likely to see the return of Matt Calvert and Jack Skille, so stay tuned and go Jackets!