The Blue Jackets came out flying on Tuesday night in Dallas, controlling the pace of the game for much of the first period.
Just days after Dean Evason said his team would have their best game of the season (speaking about Saturday night against Tampa Bay), it feels like they really put everything together early in this one.
All four lines were buzzing and generating chances in the Dallas end, and it did not take long for the Jackets to find the back of the net.
Adam Fantilli struck at the 4:33 mark, after a nice passing play from Boone Jenner and Kent Johnson. Just moments earlier, "Mo" had the puck in roughly the same area, but opted to dish off a pass to Ivan Provorov on the other side.
This time, he took advantage of his time and ripped a shot high into the short-side corner of the net, over Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger's shoulder. This one was perfectly placed.
The first period continued in the favor of the Blue Jackets, with the team playing much better defensively, limiting chances against and getting some quick-counter offensive rushes.
That is, until Cole Sillinger took yet another ill-advised penalty at the 14:40 mark. But the Jackets got the kill, and got back to work, generating an extra man advantage for themselves.
Somehow, the stars aligned and they struck on the power-play. A Charlie Coyle shot-pass found the skate of Boone Jenner, who directed it into the net and made it a 2-0 game at 18:42.
I didn't think that goal would stand, but the NHL clearly did not think there was a kicking motion. A rare call in the favor of the Blue Jackets. We'll take it.
The period would end with that 2-0 CBJ lead. They also held a 14-5 advantage in shots on goal, but you had to know the Stars were coming out stronger in the second.
They did exactly that. As much as the Blue Jackets controlled the pace in the first, the Stars equally controlled the pace of the game in the second.
Elvis Merzlikins stood very strong, making several terrific saves in net and doing everything he could to help his team get back to their game.
The Stars would eventually get one back, with Tyler Seguin scoring a goal very similar to the one Jenner scored in the first, at 11:58 of the second. He deflected a shot in off of his skates to make it a 2-1 game.
By the end of the second period, it felt like the Jackets were just hanging on in spite of their slim 2-1 lead. The Starts owned the second period shots category by a margin of 13-6, but the middle 20 felt far more one sided than that.
This one was going to come down to the third period. It was far from over, despite the Jackets carrying a 2-1 lead. The Stars are too talented to just sit back and play with a one goal advantage.
They came out buzzing in the third, but again the Jackets got terrific goaltending from Merzlikins. He kept the team above water long enough that they could rediscover their offensive game.
Fortunately for us, they did. In a big way.
Denton Mateychuk extended the CBJ lead to 3-1 at 7:21 of the third. Yegor Chinakhov chased down a long flip in and bought time, feeding a streaking Mateychuk who fired a shot through traffic and into the net.
The Stars again found some momentum, but the Jackets pushed back and were able to keep pace. A late penalty gave them another power-play, and for the first time in what seems like an eternity, they scored their second man advantage goal of the night.
This time, it was the first unit that struck, and they did so off the rush. Kirill Marchenko gained the blue line and fed Sean Monahan, who quickly centered back to Dmitri Voronkov, who wasted no time in firing the puck past Oettinger at 14:26 to make it a 4-1 game.
Kent Johnson would seal the deal with an empty net goal from his own blue line at exactly 17:00, making this a 5-1 game.
On this night, despite the Dallas surge in the second period, the Jackets were simply the better team. The encouraging thing for this CBJ team is that their goaltending is holding up against those surges this year. If that keeps up, this is a dangerous group.
Three Standouts
1. Yegor Chinakhov. He only got an assist on the scoresheet, but even if he had been held off of it, he deserves mention tonight. This was easily Yegor's best game since early last season. He looked dangerous, and worked hard on each of his shifts. Hopefully he can build upon it.
2. Elvis Merzlikins. Elvis had a tough game. Honestly, this kind of game is a goaltender's nightmare. He faced lulls where the action was at the other end, then flurries of high danger chances. But he stood in and was magnificent. Big tip of the cap for #90 tonight.
3. Adam Fantilli. Mo was all over the ice, playing easily his most noticeable game so far this season. He wound up with 2 points, but what caught my eye was his vision and hockey sense. Those traits stood out on both sides of the puck tonight.
Lots of guys deserve recognition, but one in particular: honorable mention to Denton Mateychuk tonight.
He's been thrust into top pairing duties, playing on his off side and against one of the biggest, most physically imposing teams in the league. He played 20:10 with a ton of poise, and picked up a goal.
This win gets the Jackets back to .500, with an even 3-3-0 record on the season. They'll travel home for a couple of days off, before facing the Washington Capitals at Nationwide Arena on Friday.
Hopefully, they bring the mojo they had tonight along with them. This one was fun to watch.