The CBJ Writer

This would be a spicy game. Period 1 would start with a fast and quick-paced game, which you'd expect when playing the likely 2023 NHL President's Trophy Winners in their arena. The Blue Jackets would come into tonight looking to prevent them from claiming that coveted award tonight and start out strong in that mission. The only goal this period would come from Jack Roslovic at 8:08. This marks his tenth goal this season. There would be just one assist on this Roslovic goal, and it would be Liam Foudy's sixth this season in the NHL. The Blue Jackets would leave the ice, after the opening period, with a 1-0 lead. Now, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Heather, that's not spicy?" Just wait; period 2 would quickly take this game from a bell pepper to a jalapeno!  Our first fight, yes, first, would happen early into this period. Billy Sweezy, who joined the Blue Jackets just days ago, would find himself in his first conflict with his family cheering him ...

 It's our last trip to Madison Square Garden (MSG) this 2022-23 NHL Season. A season that has been painful to watch as it's been riddled with injuries for our Blue Jackets. However, this season is still ongoing, and there's confidence for next season on the Line, in addition to a coveted top 3 Draft Pick. So, without further delay, let's recap some hockey.  Period 1 would have a fire start for the Rangers and an equal spark for the Blue Jackets. At 5:23, F. Chytil would score first tonight for his Rangers. Their second goal would come at 6:50 from V. Tarasenko, and then their newly acquired player, P. Kane, would add goal three at 8:00. This would put the Rangers up to a quick 3-0 lead. However, it would now be the Blue Jackets' turn to put some points on the board. At 11:45, Kirill Marchenko would net his twentieth goal of his first NHL Season. This goal now ties him for the Rookie Season Record for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Like this goal couldn't get any bet...

First and foremost, welcome back to Elvis Merzlikins. Tonight was his first start after going home to Latvia due to his Grandmother passing. In a pregame interview (on CBJ Radio), he admitted that he didn't have ice to skate on while on that trip, so the gym for a few days was the best he could do. Merzlikins is still getting back into his groove, and this showed tonight. However, I have every faith he'll get back to his skilled goaltending, if not this season, then start fresh in the next. Now, let's recap this game, 5TH Line.  This game would start off strong for the Blue Jackets. Lane Pederson would add his third goal to his season at 1:32. Kent Johnson would continue to rack up points, gaining his twenty-third assist with the primary one on Pederson's goal. The secondary assist would become Jack Roslovic's thirty-second. Sadly, this lead was not to last; M. Hoffman would tie the game at 1-1 as the clock struck 3:39. J. Ylonen would then score at 9:43, giving his...

It's always fun when a game starts with a Rookie NHL Player's First Game Skate, which happened again tonight before the pregame warmup. We welcomed Hunter McKown to the Columbus Blue Jackets, a brand-new Center from Colorado College. It's no surprise we signed him when he had 21 goals and 7 assists over just 38 college games. So, a huge welcome to him; now, let's recap his first NHL Game! Period 1 would only have a single goal. It would come from Islanders Z. Parise at 13:37 and put the visitors on the board. So, 1-0 Islanders lead after the opening period, but I'm happy to say that didn't last long! Early into Period 2, it looked as if Kirill Marchenko had his nineteenth goal this season. However, the Islanders would take a chance with a challenge, and it would, unfortunately, be reversed. However, a penalty would also be addressed after this challenge, and the Blue Jackets would have a Power Play. Period 1, they had one but didn't score. This Power Play wo...

This game would be run by the Capitals in the beginning. The man of the night, and possibly the decade, Alex Ovechkin, would score Goal 1 tonight at 5:12. T. Oshie would then score at 8:19,,, and then C. Sheary would score at 16:00. That would take the Capitals to a quick 3-0 lead over our hometown Blue Jackets. However, before this opening period could end, the Blue Jackets would find their way into the Capitals' net. Eric Robinson scored at 16:45, giving himself nine goals this season! There was just one assist on this goal that would belong to Mathieu Olivier, giving him ten so far this season. This eventful Period 1 would end with a 3-1 Capitals lead and set us up for an equally high-powered Period 2! The score would go to a 3-2 Capitals lead after Adam Boqvist came out and scored the opening goal in the second period. This gives him four goals so far this season. The primary assist on this goal went to Emil Bemstorm, who now has thirteen. The secondary assist would go to Cole ...

Well, 5th Line, this scoring change is really a bummer. Early yesterday evening, we watched Liam Foudy score his fifth goal of the season. This goal would be the last of the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vegas Golden Knights game; the final score would be a 7-2 victory for the Golden Knights. The scoring change released today doesn't effect Liam Foudy's goal credit, but instead, the primary assist on it. That primary assist had originally been given to Tim Berni, but that ruling was changed this afternoon. This is a bummer because it would have been his first assist as a Blue Jacket and NHL Player. The moment for his first assist will now have to wait even longer, though, as this assist now goes to Kirill Marchenko. This marks Marchenko''s third assist in his first Blue Jackets and NHL Season. Congratulations to him, but if you find yourself at the game where Berni does get his first assist without question, cheer a little louder for him, okay 5th Line? Official Statement: ...

Period 1 would conclude with the Blue Jackets only down by a single goal. The Golden Knights scored at 5:15 in the opening period, thanks to P. Kessel. So, 1-0 Golden Knights lead in Vegas.  The Blue Jackets have done well tying games recently, so Kirill Marchenko scoring his eighteenth goal at 0:37 into Period 2 wasn't very surprising to me. Sadly, the tie wouldn't last, and the Golden Knight would ultimately leave us in the dust. J. Eichel would score at 10:35, P. Dorofeyev would score at 12:09, Z. Whiteclud would score at 16:24, and lastly, J. Eichel would score again at 16:57. So, to wrap this up with a painful bow, all those goals would give the Golden Knights a 5-1, solid lead after Period 2. Daniil Tarasove would also be replaced in net for the Blue Jackets, with Michael Hutchinson, after that Golden Knights fourth goal this period. The fresh goalie would help stop the scoring rupture, but four goals are a lot to make up in Las Vegas.  Going into Period 3, the Blue Jack...

Unlike last night's one-sided game, tonight we saw the fire from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks from when the puck dropped. The Ducks would score the first goal of the evening at 3:19 by T. Zegras. The Blue Jackets would get on the board at 10:57, as Nick Blankenburs's fourth goal this season would tie the game at 1-1. Liam Foudy would add his fifth assist this season on Blankburg's goal. At 14:37, S. Harrington would put his Ducks up 2-1, but this lead wouldn't carry over to Period 2. Our Captain, Boone Jenner, would add to his leading goal total for the Blue Jackets and tie this game again at 19:29. This is his twenty-third goal this season. Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine would also also also also add to their assist totals on this Jenner goal. Gaudreau is now up to forty-six, while Laine is up to twenty-two. It's important to note that we had two chances on the Power Play this period, but both goals would not be on either. So, since no one scored i...

 Period 1 would end tonight with a 0-0 draw. The Blue Jackets had a solid first 20 minutes, looking like a team that carried over momentum from their Overtime win against the Sharks Tuesday. Daniil Tarasov would have some help in front of his net, but he would need to make 15 saves still. Based on the 0-0 tie after this period, though, you can tell that everything worked out...in this period.  Period 2 would start and carry through to the end for the Kings, showing just how much they want a 2023 Playoff spot. 4:44 would see an opening goal from D. Doughty. 7:42, they would go up 2-0 after a goal from A. Kopitar. Goal three tonight would come for the Kings at 12:36 by way of V. Arvidsson. Then, the last goal of the period would come at 13:48 from C. Grundstrom, giving his Kings a 4-0 lead after four unanswered goals this period. Yikes. It's also unfortunate for Daniil Tarasov, who was replaced in the Blue Jackets net by Michael Hutchinson after that fourth goal. The good news f...

It's late-night hockey that technically lasts two days, 5th Line! The puck drop in San Jose was last night at 10:30, and this game flew. With 19 Shots on Goal from our Blue Jackets and 6 Shots on Goal by the Sharks, the first period alone had 25 total Shots on Goal. This proves both teams came out tonight ready to play some good hockey, and that's exactly what we got. The Sharks would draw the first score with a goal at 8:00, thanks to A. Barabanov and a Power Play 5 on 4 chance. The Sharks would keep their 1-0 lead until Johnny Gaudreau would add goal number sixteen to his 2022-23 NHL Season total! Patrik Laine would notch his twenty-fourth assist after having the primary assist on his linemate's goal. The secondary assist would go to Gavin Bayreuther, giving him seven this season. Even with some stunning Power Play chances for both teams, this 1-1 tie would hold until these 20 minutes of play were up.   A Power Play would carry over, and with just 1 tick of the clock left...

Period 1 would have a gluten of goals. First, B. Saad would score for the Blues at 7:19. Less than 2 minutes later, the Blue Jackets would match that goal. Patrik Laine would score his twenty-first goal this season at 9:14, which is impressive when you consider how many games he's missed this season due to injury. Johnny Gaudreau would gain the primary assist on this Laine goal, his forty-first assist this season, while the secondary assist would go to Nick Blankenburg, giving him eight. Unfortunately, the Blues would add their second goal of the game at 13:38, thanks to J. Kyrou. Then, they'd add a third before this period ended at 18:07, by way of S. Blais. So, a 3-1 Blues lead after one period of play tonight.      Period 2 would be frozen in time. No one would score, and that 3-1 Blues lead would carry over into Period 3.  Period 3 would hold many chances for the Blue Jackets to score, but the Blues Goalie, Thomas Greiss, had incredible focus. The Blues would str...

Much to the Pittsburgh Penguins' dismay, the Columbus Blue Jackets would open this road game with their skates on fire! At 4:02, Emil Bemstrom would score on the Power Play, giving him his fifth goal of the season. The primary assist would go to Cole Sillinger, his seventh of this season, while Kent Johnson would add the secondary to his total, giving him seventeen. Lane Pederson would add his first goal as a Blue Jackets net at 7:54. (Note, this season, he's had two goals, one with the Vancouver Canucks and his second tonight with us.) The only assist on this goal would go to Liam Foudy, his fourth this season. Before this period would end, the Blue Jackets would score a third unanswered goal at 10:11, thanks to Patrik Laine. His goal total is now at an even twenty, and we still have plenty of hockey to play! Jack Roslovic now has twenty-nine assists this season after picking up the primary assist on this goal by #29, while Kent Johnson would add number eighteen to his own tot...

Back-to-back games are never easy, especially not after the trade deadline. Tonight, the home team, Ottawa Senators, would strike first. Their goal would come at 5:17 and come from T. Hamonic. Just a few seconds later, however, Jack Roslovic would score an unassisted goal at 5:35, tying the game at 1-1. Unfortunately, a skilled takeaway from Johnny Gaudreau would set up a challenging rush toward Elvis Merzlikins. The 3 Senators against 1 Blue Jackets goalie would prove disastrous, as T. Stutzle would score at 11:18. This would take the game to a 2-1 Senators lead, which is how the first period would end.  Early into Period 2, at 2:16, T. Hamonic scored his second goal of this game. Then, at 3:04, J, Chychrun would also score. With the Senators up 4-1, Elvis Merzlikins would be relieved of his net duties and substituted for the newest Columbus Blue Jackets Goalie, Michael Hutchinson. He'd hold strong through the rest of this period, not allowing another Senators goal. Best of all, t...

With the heartwarming return of Oliver Bjorkstrand to Nationwide arena, tonight's game would kick off with all the feels. However, when the puck dropped, both teams got down to business. Period 1 of this game would be a clinic for Defense and Goaltending lovers alike. It would end with a few great chances on the Power Play, divided between both teams, but this period would end with a 0-0 tie. Period 2 would be far more eventful. At 10:18, Patrik Laine would add goal eighteen to his 2022-23 NHL Season. Better yet, this was a Power Play goal! Adam Boqvist would have the primary assist, giving him fifteen this season, while Johnny Gaudreau would hit forty with the secondary assist. Unfortunately, with a great assist from Oliver Bjorkstrand, J. McCann would tie the game at 13:20, making it 1-1 all. Then, at 14:08, J. Eberle would also score, giving his Kraken their first lead of the night, 2-1. This would be the score after 40 minutes of play.  The Blue Jackets would tie the game with ...

And just like that...if you blinked, you missed Johnathan Quick's time as a Columbus Blue Jacket. I'd have liked to see him play just one game here, but with the deadline being four hours before our next game, that wasn't possible if we were going to move him. The strong rumors placed us trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights, and as of a few minutes ago, that has been his confirmed destination. The deal is as follows: Source: Jeff Svoboda @JacketsInsider on Twitter, 3.2.23 (Tweet Text Only): " #CBJ NEWS: The Blue Jackets have acquired G Michael Hutchinson and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from Vegas in exchange for goaltender Jonathan Quick. Hutchinson is expected to join the team before tomorrow's game." Our newest goaltender is 33 years old. He's 0-1-0 this season and has only played in 2 games. That said, if he gets into the net more consistently he could prove to be a great asset to his new CBJ Team. The fact he's 6'3 and 201 is...

Yep, I didn't see this one coming either, folks! Jakub Voracek, who we traded Cam Atkinson for in a deal with the Philidelphia Flyers on day 2 of the 2021 NHL Draft, is now an Arazona Coyote. Voracek, as many of us somberly remember, hasn't played since the NHL Global Series 2022 in Finland. He had a goal in the November 4th game but also received a bad concussion which has sidelined him since. For that reason, he was among the last people I expected us to trade, not to mention his deep history in the Columbus Blue Jackets Organization.   Source: Jeff Svoboda @JacketsInsider on Twitter. 3.2.23 (Text Only): " #CBJ NEWS: The Blue Jackets have acquired G Jon Gillies from Arizona in exchange for F Jakub Voracek and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Gillies, who has spent this year with Tucson of the AHL, has been assigned to @monstershockey " It's great we have another young goaltender since our trade with the L.A. Kings took Joonas Korpisalo. That said, I d...

Well, I can't believe I got this prediction right on my Facebook Page yesterday. When Joonas Korpisalo was removed from last night's Buffalo Sabers Game with a potential trade pending, I theorized that there could be a trade happening in which Vladislav Gavrikhov and he would go to the same team. Today, we found out that is very much the case; the two are now L.A. Kings.  This is painful to some fans, myself included, as Joonas Korpisalo has always played his NHL Hockey with us here in Columbus. We took him in the 2012 Draft, with our First Pick in Round 3. He's played in the AHL as a Monster for us, represented us in the Playoffs, and also in the Global Series 2022, which took place in his home country of Finland. Recently, his wife and himself also had their first child, a son. It's incredible to think of how much of his life has happened in his time here with us and how much we'll watch happen across the United States in L.A. now. I wish him the very best.   As a...