After going 0 for Canada in their last three outings, the Columbus Blue Jackets were looking to end their long road trip with a much-needed win. Thanks to multiple strong performances including Ivan Provorov playing hurt, they did just that.
Kent Johnson scored twice in the third period while Elvis Merzlikins made 24 saves to power the Blue Jackets to a convincing 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets lost for just the third time at Canada Life Centre this season.
Game Recap
Both the Blue Jackets and Jets came into Sunday’s game on the heels of a grueling schedule. The Blue Jackets played their third game in four nights while the Jets played their fifth game in eight days.
Despite no scoring, the Blue Jackets got the upper hand in the first period on the shot clock. They held a 12-6 edge in shots. They did that even while having to kill off two Jets’ power plays. That seemed to give them some momentum going into the second period.
However, penalty trouble caught up to the Blue Jackets. It eventually allowed the Jets to open the scoring. Sniper Kyle Connor connected on his 15th goal of the season. With time in the right circle, he unleashed a wicked shot that gave Merzlikins trouble.
To the Blue Jackets credit, their game seemed to elevate after the Connor goal. Just over two minutes later on their own power play, Dmitri Voronkov scored what turned out to be a massive goal to make it 1-1.
The big story of the second was the status of Cole Sillinger. He blocked two mshots from Colin Miller. He was hobbled but tried to give it a go. He left the game and was unable to finish. The Blue Jackets needed someone to step up to salvage the road trip. Johnson did in a big way.
Johnson scored twice in the span of 2:27 in the third to make the score 3-1. His first goal was a greasy goal in front of Eric Comrie. His second goal was a patented blast from the right circle. He now has 14 points in 13 games this season.
The Jets tried to push late with Comrie pulled. The Blue Jackets hung in there and finally got an empty-net goal from Sean Kuraly to seal the game. Merzlikins had a chance at the empty net but couldn’t get anything on the puck. Comrie finished with 24 saves on the night.
The Blue Jackets come back to Columbus with a .500 record and some home dates on the schedule. They host John Tortorella and the Flyers Tuesday. The Jets continue their homestand with a game Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.