Columbus Blue Jackets @ Ottawa Senators: 3/4/23 Game Recap

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, the Blue Jackets would score again, closing the scoring gap a little. Patrik Laine would score his nineteenth goal of this season at 10:56. Kirill Marchenko would add the second assist of his first NHL season on this goal. Still, the Senators would carry a 4-2 lead into period 3. 

This game would be put to bed after the Senators would score on our Power Play opportunity, by way of T. Stutzle at 12:07. This would be the only goal this period, and the Senators would win this game 5-2. Unfortunately, the Blue Jackets came out swinging, but the Senators just outplayed us when it mattered most. Elvis Merzlikins let a couple goals pass, but the 3 on 1 breakaway was an impossible situation. If he'd made that stop, it would've been by pure luck of picking the right shooter of 3 players in a matter of seconds. Again, as I've said before, goaltending is easy when you're the one judging. For his first game in a Blue Jackets jersey, Hutchinson also played well, only letting 1 goal pass in about 30 minutes of play. In the end, however, this was another game where every section of the team (offense, defense, and goaltending) could've been a bit sharper. In a back-to-back situation, though, they didn't do bad. 

Our next game will be on March 7th. Puck drop will be at 7:00 PM as we travel to Pittsburgh and face the Penguins. Here's hoping for a win! 

Go CBJ!