Columbus Blue Jackets @ Anaheim Ducks: 2/21/22 Game Recap

Buckle up 5th Line, I don't think I've seen a more unbelievable game in a while. At 3:32, Zach Werenski would get his second goal in as many nights, giving him three this season. It's Johnny Gudreau's thirty-first assist this season and Jack Roslovic's eleventh. This would be followed by goal number fourteen this season for Johnny Gaudreau at 9:32 and Jake Bean's sixth assist. For the first time in over four years, Zach Werenski would add a second goal in a game. What a moment for him at 18:30. Boone Jenner makes his point streak five games with the primary assist, his seventh this season. Also, it's a multipoint night for Jack Roslovic as he adds his twelfth assist this season. The Blue Jackets would be riding high on a 3-0 lead, but no one could've foreseen the events of period two coming. 

The scoring would start early again, with Sean Kuraly's eighth goal this season just 2:49 into period two. The only assist would be number nine this season for Alexander Texier. The glittering 4-0 lead was not to last for the Blue Jackets, though, as Trey Tarry would rally his team and fans with a goal at 9:07. Then, the unforeseen would happen. The Ducks would be battling to put the puck past Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov, and in the heat of defense, Tarasov would go low. While on the ice, Adam Boqvist's stick would wedge inside the goalie mask and cut Tarasov's face. How unlucky can you get? The Ducks would score during this accident at 16:05, thanks to Mason McTavish; there would be zero hesitation for Tarasov. He'd get to his skates and not stop at the bench but instead go straight to the locker room. An exhausted Elvis Merzlikins, who just played sixty minutes last night in L.A., would take over the Jackets net. Mason McTavish would send a second goal through our defense and cold goalie at 18:49 before his teammate Alex Killorn would tie the game at 19:36. So, yeah, a 4-4, brand new game with twenty minutes to go. 

The most unlikely but greatest news would come before the third period could even begin; Tarasov would return to the goal to finish out the game he started! So, what do you say about keeping that good news going? Yes? I thought we'd agree. Goal fifteen comes for Yegor Chinakov at 6:50, and just like that, the Blue Jackets find their newest go-ahead goal. Thirty-two assists for Johnny Gaudreau, and Boone Jenner joins the group of multipoint players tonight with his eight assists and second. Then, a steal by Alexander Texier pays off with Sean Kuraly's ninth goal this season! The twelfth assist for Cole Sillinger and Alexander Texier joining the double-digit assist club with ten wraps up this goal. For the cringe factor at the start of this period, the 6-4 established Blue Jackets' road lead is a lovely sight we entered the next day! The last seconds of this game would yield the final goal, and it would belong to our Captain, Boone Jenner, at 19:27. This would be an empty net, but it gives Jenner eighteen goals this season. It also gives Damon Severson his eleventh assist. 

Period two was unfortunate because everything unraveled due to an accident. I firmly believe that if Tarasov hadn't gotten the wrong end of a stick in his mask, the Ducks wouldn't have tied this game. That said, that happened, and they did. Pushing forward and scoring another three unanswered goals in period three is definitely a skate in the right direction for this team. Something terrible happened, but they rallied to win, and on the road, no less. What a stunning end to this trip to California. I'll take a 2-1-0 road trip any day!

Also, Zach Werenski took another Columbus Blue Jackets franchise record from former defenseman Seth Jones. With his multigoal game tonight, he now has five with the franchise, besting Seth Jone's former record of four. I don't know if Werenski will be the top star tonight, but he deserves it in my book.    

We don't have to wait long for our next dose of CBJ Hockey. Friday night, the boys will be back home in Nationwide Arena. The Sabers will come to town for a puck drop at 7:00 p.m. I can't wait to see how our team uses this win to propel them back home.  

Go CBJ! 







   

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