Jackets lose their fourth straight game
The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost four straight games after losing to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday afternoon.
Patrik Laine scored in his return after missing three weeks due to a concussion, a welcome sight to the Jackets lineup. Adam Fantilli, Alexandre Texier, and Sean Kuraly also got on the score sheet in the loss.
The Jackets battled back after being down 2-0 in the first four minutes of the game. They tied the game at 2 with just under two minutes to go in the first period. The Jackets fought hard to get back in a game that easily could've gotten ugly early.
In the second period, the CBJ took the lead on a Sean Kuraly goal. But just as the CBJ did in the first, the Red Wings would find a way to score two times late in the second to take the lead.
The third period would see each team score once, including Patrik Laine, but it wasn't enough for the Blue Jackets to beat the Red Wings.
Courtesy of the Blue Jackets AppHere are three takeaways:
The Penalty Kill Continues To Shine
The Jackets have killed off 18 powerplays in a row over the last seven games. The last team to score on the CBJ penalty kill was Montreal on October 26th. If there is one positive aspect of this team during this losing streak, it's the PK. After Saturday's game, the Blue Jackets rank third in the league at 88.4%.
Kirill Marchenko Stays Hot
Since coming back from being scratched, Marchenko has 3 goals and 5 points in five games while registering a point in all five of the games. In those five games, he's a plus-3 and has 16 shots on goal. He and his linemates Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov, have all been the best players on the ice since they've been paired together.
Adam Fantilli
Adam Fantilli has points in 3 of the last 5 games, including back-to-back games in the last two. He had a beautiful saucer pass to Kirill Marchenko against the Stars for an assist and batted a puck out of the air in Saturday's game for a goal. He seems like he's getting better and better every game.
The Jackets will now travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the first-place New York Rangers. The Rangers have won two straight games over the Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. The Blue Jackets beat the Rangers on October 14th. Elvis Merzlikins should get the start vs. New York. Louie Domingue started in the last game for the Rangers, his first start of the year for New York.
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.