Columbus Blue Jackets @ Seattle Kraken: 1/28/23 Game Recap

From the drop of the puck, the Blue Jackets were chasing the Kraken's game. M. Geekkie would score at 8:40 into Period 1, giving his Kraken a 1-0 lead. For the significant time spent in our zone, the fact that this was the only goal scored in this period is nothing short of a miracle. Elvis had some great saves, eleven, but he'd shine out of necessity in Period 2.  

Elvis Merzlikins's saves in these twenty minutes would be stunning, crossing the span of the entire goal multiple times to give his offense a chance to score. Our Powerplay Kill would look good and help the team out, but our inability to capitalize when given a Powerplay of our own hurt us.  his was especially true when former Blue Jacket Alex. Wennberg scored at 8:33. With this goal, the Kraken would build upon their goal advantage, now 2-1. This period would end with a Blue Jackets goal, however, number ten for Kent Johnson would come at 18:58. With the only assist on this goal, Jack Roslovic would expand his assist total this season to twenty-three. He has the second most, behind Johnny Gaudreau at thirty-five. The Blue Jackets and Kraken would leave this Period 2 with a 2-1 Kraken lead.  

The Blue Jackets would have to complete a Powerplay Kill from the last seconds of Period 2, however, they'd accomplish this, and the Kraken would maintain their narrow 2-1 lead. At 5:39, a shot from E. Tolvanen couldn't be stopped by Merzlikins, which would give the Kraken back their two-goal lead. It doesn't soften the blow of a 3-1 Kraken lead, actually, it might make it sting a bit more when I say former Blue Jacket, Oliver Bjorkstrand, had the primary assist on this goal. With roughly half the period left, it would look as if Captain Boone Jenner had scored. It was clear and quickly confirmed that this goal wasn't, in fact, a score, and we'd be back to a 3-1 Kraken lead. Merzlikin's save superiority would continue till the bitter end as he'd continue to give his team a chance to make points happen, but this wouldn't happen. Your final tonight would be a 3-1 Seattle Kraken win.  

Based on the score, you may not believe me when I say this, but this was one of Elvis Merzlikin's better games this season.  Sadly, it just wasn't a win.  Sure, it would've been great if he'd have stopped a few of those goals, but with our team only scoring one goal all game, he'd have had to be near perfect, and we'd have just gotten a chance at overtime with all that effort, not a guaranteed win. So, this four-game road trip would end with us gaining 3 of the possible 8 points. It's a bitter reality, but given the teams we faced, I'm happy with just 3 points, honestly. Again, I know this may sound strange, but this trip wasn't without its losses. In four games, we're now without Gus Nyquist, Nick Blankenburg, and Adam Boqvist. Nick Blankenburg and Adam Boqvist are at least day-to-day, whereas Gus Nyquist has a concerning questionmark beside his return, which makes me cringe. This has happened before this season with other players, and the outcome has rarely been good.  (Also, I don't know anything new about his injury, this is just based off the IR pain of this season and my gut having gone through the same analyzing this season, for you all!)  

I will give you all something to crew on as I wrap this up as well: Many fans are frustrated with our goaltending and/or our defense. With that being said, you can't win a game if the score is 0-0. So, I ask you to lay off on the Defense and goaltending and realize that every part of this team must work to win. This includes our offense scoring goals. Again, just something to ponder 5th Line.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Tuesday is our final game before the All-Star 2023 break! It feels like yesterday I was watching ESPN waiting for the names to be released, then reporting to you all that Johnny Gaudreau would be attending his first year as a Blue Jacket! The final game before that all happens will be in Nationwide Arena, against the Washtington Capitals. We are also back to a early puck drop time, this one set for 7:00 PM. With any luck, the Blue Jackets can go into the All-Star break and send Johnny off on a high note; fingers crossed.  

Go CBJ!