Columbus Blue Jackets @ Arizona Coyotes: 3/27/24 Game Recap

With the Columbus Blue Jackets having just two games left on their current five-game road trip, playing another team at about their level was a breath of fresh air. James Malatesta, wearing number 67, joins the NHL ranks for the first time, so congratulations to him before we get underway with the recap! 

As has been the case with the last two losses, the visiting Blue Jackets would find themselves on the board first for a third game in a row. At 11:45, on the powerplay no less, Captain Boone Jenner would score his twenty-second goal this season. Johnny Gaudreau adds his forty-second assist while Zach Werenski reaches forty! Amazingly, this would be the only goal of period one, and the Blue Jackets would carry that single-goal lead into period two. 

Obviously, the Coyotes wouldn't back down. Matias Maccelli scored at 14:55, and Josh Doan scored his first NHL Goal, playing in his first NHL Game, at 16:33. This would also give his home team their first lead tonight. That lead wouldn't last long, though, as Zach Werenski would find the Coyotes net at 19:21, again on the powerplay! I know, twice in one game, I'm shocked, too, but it's true! This is Zach Werenski's sixth goal this season. Boone Jenner locks up his thirteenth assist this season while Johnny Gaudreau keeps rolling with forty-three. Funny enough, both goals for the Blue Jackets weren't just on the powerplay but also involved the same three players. The last 0:39 would tick away, and a new game would await us in period three with a 2-2 tie. 

The Coyotes were hungry for more goals, and that showed, as their debut NHL player, Josh Doan, scored his second goal tonight at 11:32. This ignited a spark in the home team, as Nick Bjugstad followed up with a goal of his own, number nineteen this season, at 14:49. Less than two minutes later at 16:02, Nick Schmaltz would score his twentieth goal this season after slipping by Boone Jenner, and sending the puck airborne and toward the goal before Zach Werenski could reach him. The primary victim of this goal would be Boone Jenner's stick, which took the brunt of his annoyance, snapping with impressive ease. With just over a minute to go, Coyotes Michael Clattered would push James Malatesta too far. After the two met on the ice, Malatesta would say something, and Clattered would smack Malatesta's stick from his grasp. That was all it took, and we'd have yet another fight. Yes, this was the third, and unless it's a player first or results in an injury or goal, I don't find it worth mentioning. This is hockey, not boxing on ice. I respect defending yourselves and each other, but fighting to fight is getting repetitive. Clattered would obtain a total of seven minutes for making his stick leave his hands, which was two less than Malatesta's lone five-minute penalty for fighting. So, sadly, Malatesta wouldn't even complete his first game in the NHL but spend the remainder in the locker room. The powerplay would result in another goal for the Coyotes at 19:49 from Dylan Guenther, number twelve of his season. This would finally cap the Coyotes at six goals this game as they win 6-2. 1/3 of those goals (two total) would be on the Blue Jackets powerplay advantage. So, for a night filled with promise, they would ultimately lose to a howling-hot team.

Something to watch for going into Thursday in Pittsburgh. Dylan Guenther did colide with Elvis Merzlikins towards the end of this game. I give the Coyotes player props because he checked on Merzlikins when he didn't immediately get up. He did, eventually, but I don't believe he was 100% for the final couple minutes he played. I'm not making excuses; I'm being honest. So, again, a situation to watch as we go into a rival matchup against the Penguins on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Go CBJ!