Your Columbus Blue Jackets played with heart last night but fell to the Boston Bruins 4-3 in a shootout at Nationwide Arena. If you hit the hay early, you missed a wild ride. The Columbus Blue Jackets came out absolutely flying, with Boone Jenner getting us on the board early at 6:17 in the first, assisted by Cole Garland. Then Mathieu Marchment — LEOOOO! — doubled the lead just over a minute later, thanks to Ivan Provorov and Kirill Marchenko. It felt like we were cruising, but then things got complicated.
The Bruins clawed their way back in the third period. Charlie Coyle got one for them on the power play at 19:32 of the first, but then it was all Boston later on. Charlie McAvoy scored at 6:29 of the third, and then Pavel Zacha tied it up on the power play at 8:43. And then, in the dying seconds, with only eleven seconds left, Zacha scored *again* on the power play to send it to overtime. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially with how hard Elvis Merzlikins was working in net, stopping 35 shots. Ultimately, Viktor Arvidsson got the shootout winner for Boston.
This loss stings, no doubt about it. We had the win in our grasp. Losing in the shootout means we still grab a point, which is huge for our standing at 38-24-12, keeping us in that Wildcard #2 spot. But falling to the Boston Bruins after being up by two goals leaves a bitter taste, even with Buckeye Donuts on High Street. The Columbus Blue Jackets are still battling, and we've got to regroup quickly. Next up, we head on the road, and these points are going to be critical as the season winds down.
Cannon goes boom — Blue Jackets hockey from Columbus, Ohio.
The crew over at MiTL Sports Desk Morning Show is probably still buzzing about this one — hear their takes live on mornings.live.