CBJ lose another game with late defensive lapses
It took the Carolina Hurricanes 50 minutes to break down the Jackets defense and get on the board, and once they did, it was all Canes at that point.
Neither team would score a goal through the first two periods of the hockey game, and it was a fairly even game. Kirill Marchenko changed that just 13 seconds into the third period when he took an odd-angled shot from the left of goaltender Kochetkov. The shot was high and glanced off of Kochetkov's left shoulder and into the net. It looked as though Marchenko was just trying to make something happen, and it did. The goal was assisted by Johnny Gaudreau.
Johnny Gaudreau would score six minutes into the third when he stole a failed clearing attempt by the Canes and sent it into the net to make it 2-0. The puck was deflected off of a Carolina player that was in front of Gaudreau. The goal was unassisted.
And then, with 10 minutes left in the game, the Hurricanes would take over. Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored to cut it to 2-1. Kotkaniemi was left wide open in the slot and rifled one past Elvis. With just under seven minutes left in the game, Brady Skjei victimized the Jackets defense. Skjei got sneaky and was left somewhat open in front of Elvis and when the puck ended up in his general area, he just swiped at it with his stick. A pass was thrown to a different Cane and it bounced between his legs, which seemed to catch Provorov off guard, and that's when Skjei swiped at it.
And finally, with under two minutes left in the game, Andrei Svechnikov would score his first of the season to beat the Blue Jackets and send them home with zero points. The Jackets fall to the Hurricanes 3-2.
The Jackets played a good game, and due to a few defensive breakdowns, they would lose. Elvis was magnificent again on Sunday night, despite being absolutely shelled again for the second straight game. You could argue that none of the goals given up were Merzlikin's fault.
Final Stats
CBJ AppPlayer Notes
- Johnny Gaudreau had two points. He now has 4 points in the last three games.
- Kirill Marchenko scored his 6th goal. He has 2 goals and 3 points in the last three games.
- Elvis Merzlikins made 40 saves, including 5 on the power play. Elvis is single-handedly keeping the Jackets in games lately. Against the Devils and Canes, he's made 81 saves and has a .952 save % with a GAA of 2.00
- The CBJ PK killed both Hurricane power plays, they now sit at 2nd in the NHL at 88.9%.
The Blue Jackets will now be back home for the next three games, starting tomorrow night against the seemingly unstoppable Boston Bruins at 7 p.m.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.