San Jose Sharks @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 45

Tonight, the home Blue Jackets would look to split the season series with a win against the visiting San Jose Sharks who beat them in overtime in California a few weeks back. It would extend their winning streak to six games if they could accomplish this. In addition, many players were also looking to extend streaks of their own, and many of them did!

Adam Fantilli would get them off on the right skate with his eleventh goal of the season, scored at 12:11 into period one. This first goal of the game would give Zach Werenski his thirty-sixth assist and extend his point streak at home to eighteen games, allowing him to match Brian Leetch in his 1992-1993 season among NHL Defenseman. Minutes later, at 16:17, two more Jackets would find their way onto the point sheet. Kent Johnson would send his twelfth goal to the back of the net with the only assist going to Sean Kuraly, his seventh this season. The Jackets would hold off the Sharks this period and finish it with a 2-0 lead. 

There would be just one goal in the second period, and it would extend the Jackets' lead to 3-0! James van Riemsdyk adds his seventh goal this season at 6:37. This goal would be the first tonight to have a primary and a secondary assist. The primary would become number thirteen for Damon Severson while Kent Johnson would start a multipoint night with the secondary and his fourteenth this season. 

In period three the Sharks' T. Toffoli would score his seventeenth goal of the season and end the Jackets' hopes of a shutout.  The primary assist would become M. Celebrini's nineteenth assist this season while the secondary would become W. Eklund's twenty-fifth. This goal would be scored at 7:32. James van Riemsdyk would get it back once the Sharks' left their net empty for an extra player. This would become Riemsdyk's eighth goal of the season and second tonight, His goal would come at 17:59, and Kirill Marchenko would continue his point streak to six games with his thirty-first assist this season. The Jackets would close this game out with a 4-1 WIN! 

Elvis Merzlikins would claim the Third Star of the Game with a .947 save percentage. He accomplished this with 18 saves on 19 shots by the Sharks, not easy with the low amount of shots, but he did it. 

Kent Johnson would be the Second Star of the Game with a 1-1-2. 

James van Riemsdyk would finish with a 2-0-2 and earns the First Star of the Game. 

As if tonight's win wasn't fun enough, the Jackets not only won their sixth game in a row but also overtook the Boston Bruins in the Wild Card hunt. That's right, 5th Line, we're in the First Wildcard Spot in the East. Oh, it's a great feeling and I hope this team keeps riding the high of winning, I think we could all get used to this! 

Our next game will not be an easy one. The Rangers look to be figuring out their whose in New York, and we will play them in New York on a Saturday night no less, but I think our guys are up for the challenge! The game will start at 7:00 p.m. with a valuable 2 points up for grabs that both teams need. It'll be fun! 

GO CBJ!







  

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