Despite the overtime loss, Columbus showed some resilience and maturity.
Last night did not start the way the Jackets wanted it to. Before some people had a chance to order their drinks or gather their family around the TV to watch the game, it was already 3-0 Panthers.
But the Jackets weathered the storm, picked themselves up off the ice, and made a huge comeback.
The Blue Jackets tied the game 10 minutes into the second and took the lead 12:30 into the third, but the Panthers of Florida weren't done with the Jackets just yet. It's like they were toying with their prey. Once Nick Cousins tied the game with under a minute left, you just knew the Jackets would fall in OT. It had all the makings of heartbreak, and that's exactly what happened. Noted Jacket Killer Carter Verhaeghe won it in overtime.
Physicality Was The Name Of The Game
Every player except Johnny Gaudreau and Damon Severson had hits against the Panthers. Normally this happens when teams are out-matched in the talent department, but last night seemed to be a little more than normal.
Rookie Adam Fantilli led all players with 4 hits. One of those hits led to a tussle between Dmitri Voronkov and former Jacket Kevin Stenlund. Not exactly a wise move by Stenlund, but props to him for stepping up.
Mathieu Oliver and Dmitri Voronkov had 3 hits each, while five different players had 2 hits, and the rest with one.
Compare that to Florida who only had 8 hits the entire game, Columbus was hitting anything that moved. The last two games saw the CBJ have 13 hits and 9 hits respectively.
Was it because they dug themselves such a deep hole so early? Most likely. They needed to slow Florida down somehow and it seemed to work. Once the Jackets got their legs under them, the game evened out. Although the Panthers continued to take countless shots at Spencer Martin, he was able to stop them all until the final minute.
Alexandre Texier Finally Gets A Point
Alex Texier had the go-ahead goal in the third and assisted on the tying goal in the second. He's been fighting it all season and was finally rewarded for his play. A lot of opinions had him one game away from being a healthy scratch, so it was good to see him score. Will this spark the young Frenchman? We'll find out Thursday when the Dallas Stars visit Columbus. Everyone is rooting for Texier to do well, as everyone has seen his talent, now it's time for him to put it together and contribute going forward. At times this season he looks out of place, and other times, he looks like he's ready. Which one will we see in the coming weeks?
Good Response From Johnny Gaudreau
Although he didn't get on the score sheet, he was at least taking shots on goal. He finished with 4 shots and played 20 minutes of ice time. Offensively he was trying to make things happen. Defensively, however, it was a bit of a struggle and he finished a -2 on the night. It's no secret that defense is not his specialty, and most of the team had issues last night on defense. Most of that came from the first six minutes of the game. Overall, it was a good comeback from Gaudreau after being benched in the third period on Saturday night.
Thoughts From Pascal Vincent
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