Monday night’s game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Boston Bruins was important for both teams. The Blue Jackets had struggled on the road all season and wanted to end the trip on a high note. The Bruins meanwhile were hoping this would be the start of a rebound.
The Blue Jackets were able to do something that hadn’t done in eight years. They defeated the Bruins in regulation in Boston.
Mathieu Olivier and Justin Danforth each scored shorthanded goals while Elvis Merzlikins made 29 saves to lift the Blue Jackets to a convincing 5-1 win over the Bruins.
The story of this game was how the Blue Jackets were able to jump out quickly before eventually sucking the life out of the Bruins and the fans in TD Garden. It earned them just their second road win of the season.
Game Recap
The Blue Jackets didn’t waste any time jumping on the Bruins. Just over five minutes into the game, Dmitri Voronkov opened the scoring. He was able to get ahead and take a Sean Monahan pass to the net. He was able to score despite Brandon Carlo running into Jeremy Swayman knocking the net off. The puck crossed the line even before the net came off.
The Blue Jackets then added a pair of goals to extend to 3-0 thanks to Olivier’s shorthanded goal and then a late-period goal from the former Bruin James van Riemsdyk. Loud boos were coming down as the Bruins left the ice.
The second period got choppy thanks to six penalties called. The Bruins got extra power-play time but were only able to beat Merzlikins once. Charlie Coyle scored with 5:30 left in the second to make it 3-1. That was eventually all the Bruins would be able to get on this night.
The Blue Jackets added two in the third thanks to yet another shorthanded goal this time by Danforth. He drove the net and finished Cole Sillinger’s pass with authority. Then Yegor Chinakhov put the finishing touches on scoring his fifth of the season to get to the final score of 5-1.
Merzlikins was the star of the night. Although the Blue Jackets were comfortably ahead, he held off the Bruins’ push while bailing his teammates out of mistakes and turnovers. He made at least five 10-bell saves on the night.
The Blue Jackets now get two days off before hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. Meanwhile, the Bruins get two days off also before hosting the Utah Hockey Club. One has to wonder how much longer the Bruins’ current situation will last.