Columbus Blue Jackets @ Chicago Blackhawks: 2022-23 NHL Season Game 33 Recap

Well, tonight wasn't the most amazing performance for the Columbus Blue Jackets.  However, there were a couple bright spots.  So, without further stalling, let's recap this final game before the Christmas holiday break.  With Daniil Tarasov in the visitor's net, it's time to get this pre-holiday break party started!

Period 1 wouldn't have much for me to recap.  This period would have just two goals, and both would belong to the Blackhawks.  The first, no surprise here, would be from P. Kane at 13:28.  Believe it or not, though, he wouldn't be the highest-scoring player on this Blackhawks team.  You would know who that is, 5th Line, as he was once a Blue Jacket.  M. Domi (Max) would have goal two of this period, coming at 16:00 on the nose, which is a bit freaking considering he was number 16 while here!  11 goals this young 2022-23 NHL season for him, and suddenly, the Blue Jackets end Period 1 down 2-0.  

For how underwhelming Period 1 was for this Blue Jackets team, Period 2 would show some improvement.  At 2:31, A. Athanasiou would add on goal 3 for the Blackhawks tonight, then at 3:24, T. Raddysh would add one of his own.  4-0 Blackhawks lead to this point, but a spark would come from a young Blue Jackets rookie.  Joonas Korpisalo would take over the visitor's net for the Blue Jackets, but that Blue Jackets improvement I spoke of was on the horizon.  Kirill Marchenko, at 13:48, would add his fourth goal of his first NHL Season.  Marcus Bjork would gain his sixth assist this season, while Jack Roslovic would punch his 100 Career Assist with his fourteenth this season.  4-1 Blackhawks, but there would be that spark, and by a Christmas Maricle, that spark would continue in Period 3.  

At 3:21, Marcus Bjork would add goal three onto his first NHL Season as a Blue Jacket.  Gus Nyquist would continue rolling with the assists this season, now hitting the double digits with number ten tonight!  Jack Roslovic would also tack on his second assist tonight, giving him fifteen this season and 101 in his career.  4-2 Blackhawks lead to this point 5th Line.  

Period 3 would be chock-full of penalties and rough moments.  The boarding, pushing, shoving, and sometimes, the puck would fly off the ice and into the crowd.  Another goal wouldn't come until well over halfway through this period, but alas, it wouldn't be ours.  J. Toews would score at 12:16, giving his team a 5-2 lead over us.  Some more time would pass without a score before a disagreement between Erik Gudbranson and Boris Katchouk would break out in front of our net.  The gloves-off moment would last seconds but cost Gudbranson 9 minutes total.  He got 4 for roughing and 5 for fighting.  (Basically, he was done for the game.)  Both teams would have a few more decent scoring chances after this, but not much would amount beyond the hype of a possible goal.  The final tonight in Chicago would be what the Blackhawks fans had asked Santa for, a win to snap that 8-game losing streak.  

At this point, we should all accept that this season won't end with a playoff run.  Also, to those thinking that firing Head Coach Larson is the magic answer...sorry, but everyone thought Johnny Gaudreau was the same solution.  There is no "I" in team, that goes for players as well as the coaching staff.  With that reality being stated, there are some good moments tonight.  Marchenko is a bright spot for this team already and he's so young; just imagine how amazing he'll be in the future!  Jack Roslovic, a hometown player, has 100 Career Assists now.  I'm not saying this loss doesn't hurt, especially as it's number 21 of this season.  What I am saying is that tonight, just as with many nights that result in losses, aren't complete loss.  

Staking forward, we'll have the holiday break, which will go through Monday, and then return to the ice on Tuesday, December 27th.  We will host the Buffalo Sabers, and hopefully get some payback for that 9-4 loss a few weeks back.  Please note, this game is on ESPN+ and for that reason we'll have a puck drop time of 7:30.  For tonight's game we got back Adam Boqvist and Joonas Korpisalo.  So, maybe after this short holiday break, more players will return.  

Until them, I'll post any other updates on my social media pages.  I wish you all a happy and safe holiday weekend, and we'll talk soon 5th Line.

Go CBJ!