The CBJ Writer

The Carolina Hurricanes sat in 1st in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points. In contrast, the Columbus Blue Jackets, at the start of this game, were just 1 point out of the 1st or 2nd Eastern Division Wildcard with 79 points. The Blue Jackets had more to gain tonight from the 2 points on the line, but even atop the division, the Hurricanes had plenty of reason to fight for those season-changing points, too. I have every faith in our Blue Jackets, but I can't lie, I was nervous about this game. Let me tell you, those concerns of mine disappeared faster than Ohio's spring weather this past weekend!  Early into the game, at 4:23, Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis would go to the penalty box for 4 minutes after high-sticking Zach Werenski. Thankfully, #8 would be okay and continue to play. Bonus: Mason Marchment would score goal sixteen of his season, putting us up 1-0, at 5:25! Charlie Coyle continues collecting assists with his thirty-sixth this season on the primary, and Adam Fanti...

Don't let the shots on goal fool you; this was a tight, exciting game with no brotherly love to be found on the ice! 4:21 into the game, Kirill Marchenko would gain his twenty-fifth goal of the season, giving us a 1-0 lead! Adam Fantilli adds his twenty-eighth assist this season on the primary, while Damon Severson adds his twenty-second with the secondary. A few minutes later, at 10:24, Alex Bump would shoot the puck so hard into our net that it would jump out before the buzzer could go off, but it did go in for his second goal of the season. The tying goal would give Emil Andrae his eleventh assist this season on the primary, and Christian Dvorak adds his twenty-sixth assist this season on the secondary. Each team would continue to have good chances to score, but just that, good chances. The period would end with a 1-1 tie between the Flyers and Blue Jackets, but the Blue Jackets would lead shots on goal in this opening period, 13-6.   Period 2 would end with the same 1-1 ti...

This game was tight to the end and beyond. Period 1 would end with a 0-0 draw. The Blue Jackets would dominate shots on goal, 14-3. Let me make this clear, especially when it comes to Kent Johnson: if not for former Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, we'd have been up by at least a few goals!   It would take until 13:01 into Period 2 for a goal to be scored. Adam Fantilli finally beat Sergei Bobrovsky as the Blue Jackets blocked a puck sent toward Elvis Merzlikins, then redirected it for a three-on-one charge down the ice! This was goal number nineteen of Adam Fantilli's season, and it would yield only one assist, Mason Marchment's eighteenth this season. The middle period would conclude with a 1-0 Blue Jackets lead, but also a holding penalty against the Blue Jackets' Damon Severson, putting him in the box for two minutes at the start of Period 3. Shots on goal this period would again be led by the Blue Jackets, but by a smaller margin, 10-7. 1:28 into Period 3 ...

 It's a quick turnaround, 5th Line, as the Blue Jackets played a makeup game from the January snowstorm at home yesterday against the L.A. Kings, then hopped on a flight to Tampa Bay to play the Lightning tonight! I must say, the Blue Jackets have vastly improved their play in back-to-back games this season, and you'll see why soon. Period 1 would prove that this would be an exciting game full of energy and skill. The Blue Jackets and Lightning would be nipping at each other's skates from puck drop on. The Blue Jackets would lead shots on goal this opening period, 9-4. Still, the Lightning would have the first goal of the game at 13:38. This goal would become the eighth this season for Gage Goncalves. Victor Hedman comes away with his ffifteenth assist this season on the primary. The unreal Nikita Kucherov would add his seventieth assist this season on the secondary. Towards the end of this period, Cole Sillinger would hold his own in a fight with Lightning's J.J. Moser...

Hello, 5th Line! So, I missed the first two periods of hockey this afternoon due to work. That said, I will backtrack to congratulate our newest Blue Jacket, Connor Garland, on his first two goals with our franchise! I was excited when we picked him up, and knew he'd be a good fit here.  Period 3 would have several good chances for the Blue Jackets to break the 3-3 tie, but the Kinga goaltender, Anton Forsberg, would continue to show off in his visitors' net.  Then, at 10:07, Brian Dumoulin would add goal number two to his season. Mikey Anderson would come away with his ninth assist this season on the primary, while Scott Laughton would come away with his fifth assist this season on the secondary. But, with the minutes ticking down, Scott Laughton would take a costly penalty for interference against Mason Marchment at 16:43, and Kirill Marchenko's twenty-third goal of the season would follow at 18:04! Zach Werenski adds yet another assist to his season, number forty-six, wi...

 So, I had a chance to see family I hadn't seen in years and missed the first two periods of tonight's game. I came in when the Mammoth and Blue Jackets were tied 2-2. That said, I think I saw the best period of the night! The Mammoth would score two goals early in Period 3. The first would belong to Alexander Kerfoot at 3:00, and this would become his second goal this season. Michael Carcome would add his eleventh assist on the primary, while MacKenzie Weeger would add his nineteenth on the secondary. Then, at 4:54, the Mammoth would have its largest lead of the night after Logan Cooley added his tenth goal of the season. Lawson Crouse gets his sixteenth assist this season on the primary, while Ian Cole gets his fiftieth assist this season on the secondary. Now, if you left Nationwide Arena with the Blue Jackets down 4-2 on a Saturday night after the revitalization this team has had since hiring Rick Bowness, that's your fault! At 13:38, Adam Fantilli would pick up his eig...