The Montreal Canadiens won a wild game over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night 4-3 in overtime. Cole Caufield was able to secure the game winner with just 43 seconds left in the extra session.
Although the Blue Jackets suffered their second consecutive overtime loss, they are now 2-0-2 in their last four games. Taking six points out of a possible eight in any four-game stretch is a sign that they’re coming along.
But with that said, the Canadiens did manage to show the Blue Jackets two important areas of improvement moving forward. Both of these factors were key in Thursday night’s outcome.
Blue Jackets Must Finish Better
The Blue Jackets jumped out to leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before the Canadiens scored the last three goals of the night. There were several additional chances to extend or take the lead that the Blue Jackets missed out on.
In a tight game such as Thursday night, the Blue Jackets have to finish their chances when they get them.
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As regulation wore down, Justin Danforth was given a perfect pass and had a breakaway with the game on the line. He missed the net with his shot.
The Blue Jackets were given a late power play when Adam Fantilli was high-sticked by Brendan Gallagher. Danforth’s chance came in the first part of that power play before regulation expired. Then the Blue Jackets couldn’t convert on the four-on-three in overtime. Coach Pascal Vincent called these out during his postgame.
As reported on TSN, the Blue Jackets and Canadiens were the two youngest teams in the NHL Thursday based on average age. While it was a highly entertaining game with momentum changing hands on multiple occasions, the Blue Jackets were unable to finish on several key chances. This ultimately cost them a standings point.
One of the big lessons that any young hockey team needs to learn is to make the most of opportunities handed to them. Caufield was able to finish in overtime while the Blue Jackets missed on several chances before. They got a point but could have easily had two.
Managing the Game
This was the other lesson that the Canadiens taught the Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Although the Blue Jackets entered the second period up 2-0, special teams got heavily involved in the game.
The Blue Jackets took four minors in the last 40 minutes of the game. Two of those four penalties became power-play goals against.
Mike Matheson’s goal came with just 17 seconds left in the second period. That goal made it 3-2 and gave the Canadiens a lot of momentum heading into the locker room. That’s where the Blue Jackets have to manage the game better.
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Like in finishing, game management is something that takes time to learn for a young team. Teams down by a goal are going to press for the equalizer. The third period was the worst period of the night for the Blue Jackets. The Canadiens had the puck more and created more chances. Nat Stat Trick had scoring chances at 11-3 Canadiens in the third at 5-on-5.
This is where decision-making with the puck and managing momentum swings come into focus. To their credit, the Blue Jackets didn’t break in the third. They gave up the tying goal and had chances to win the game. But in the end, they must do a better job of staying out of the penalty box and keeping themselves in better positions to close games out.
Thursday night served as a good reminder. The Blue Jackets are showing better than last season. But they also showed they have a lot of lessons to learn as the season moves on.
Side Dishes
- Jack Roslovic opened the scoring. He’s playing his best hockey of the season. He factored in all three Blue Jackets’ goals. His assist to Emil Bemstrom on the third goal was a thing of beauty.
- Speaking of Bemstrom, that’s three goals in two games now. There’s obvious chemistry between him and Roslovic on the power play. Expect them to stay together in the near term on the man advantage.
- There may be some of you concerned about Elvis Merzlikins. Per Nat Stat Trick, he allowed 0.24 more goals than expected in all situations. He made several key saves in the game that allowed the Blue Jackets a chance to win. In five games, he’s 2-1-2 with a .903 save percentage and 2.93 goals-against average. His defense didn’t do him many favors especially in the third period. He is better than last year to this point. But he also has plenty of room to improve too. Let’s see where he is at Thanksgiving before making any definitive judgments.
- The Blue Jackets have points in four straight games. They did that just once last season from 11/10-11/17/22 going 3-0-1 in that stretch.
- The Blue Jackets do not practice Friday. They play next at home Saturday night against the New York Islanders.
