The story of the day was Nick Cousins vs. Erik Gudbranson
The Florida Panthers beat the Blue Jackets today at NWA. But the story after the game isn't that the Jackets lost the game, it's the questionable officiating that allowed this game to get chaotic and could've ended with someone getting seriously hurt.
Twenty-four seconds into the third period, Nick Cousins hit Erik Gudbranson from behind as both of them were chasing the puck behind the net. It was a hard hit that stunned Gudbranson as he would lay there for a few seconds motionless. And then after the ref blew the whistle, Gudbranson would jump to his feet and go right after Cousins causing a disturbance behind Greaves. The call on Cousins was originally called a major, but after a "review," they rescinded it to a two-minute minor. The reversal of a major to a minor isn't the first time Columbus has been the victim of a reversal.
Around six minutes later, Gudbranson and Cousins just happened to be in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place if you're Nick Cousins. Gudbranson caught Cousins and went berserk on him, tossing him to the ice and punching him several times. Gudbranson was thrown out and given 27 penalty minutes including, two for instigating, five for fighting, a ten-minute misconduct for the instigator, and a 10-minute game misconduct. Gudbranson will also have a hearing with the league for rule 46.2 (Aggressor).
The Panthers were given a 7-minute power play which the Jackets had killed off until the Cats poked a loose puck in with 37 seconds left making it 3-1.
The final score isn't indicative of how the game went. The Panthers had a pair of empty netters that made it 5-2, but the game was played tight for two periods. Neither team gave much up all game, but when the third-period chaos happened, the game turned in favor of the Panthers. Jet Greaves was again great in this game, stopping 31 of 34 Florida shots, including 11 of 12 on the power play. In the end, it was another loss for the Blue Jackets.
Final Stats
CBJ AppPlayer Notes
- Yegor Chinakhov scored his 6th goal of the season. He now has 4 points in the last two games.
- Kirill Marchenko recorded his 8th assist He has 4 points in his last four games.
- Erik Gudbranson earned an assist, his 8th. He also had 29 penalty minutes in this game.
- Zach Werenski earned his 20th assist on the season.
Next Up: The Blue Jackets now travel to Toronto to play the Leafs on Thursday.
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.