Columbus Blue Jackets @ Toronto Maple Leafs: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 75

Some nights, the Blue Jackets have the worst luck. The only goal in period one would come at 10:03 and would be in favor of the home team. Maple Leafs' N, Robertson would add the thirteenth goal of his season, while the only assist on his go would become number ten this season for P, Holmberg. The goal happened as Elvis Merzlikins tried to forward the puck to Zach Werenski, trying to give him a breakaway or at the least a chance to clear the zone, but it would backfire and be intercepted for the assist and goal. The Blue Jackets would have several great attempts, but A. Stolarz would be a wall in the home net for the Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets would go into period two, hunting for the equalizer. 

Period two would, unfortunately, repeat itself. The only goal would again belong to the Maple Leafs, putting them up two goals. In addition, it would come off another fluke of a bounce. The goal scorer would repeat again, too, as N. Robertson would add his second goal tonight, the fourteenth of his season at 12:28. Former Blue Jacket and enforcer, M. Domi, would have the only assist on this goal, giving him twenty-three this season. So, the Blue Jackets, despite their best efforts, would go into the final regulation period hunting their first goal of the night, now down two. 

Early into period three, W. Nylander would do W. Nylander things, and by that, I mean he'd put himself on hattrick watch with N. Robertson in roughly three minutes. His first goal would come at 1:11, becoming his forty-third of the season. M. Rielly would add his twenty-ninth assist this season on the primary while B. Cario would pick up his tenth on the secondary. W. Nylander's second goal of the game, his forty-fourth this season, would come at 4:21. M. Rielly would add his second assist tonight, thirtieth this season, on the secondary while A. Matthews would add his forty-first on the secondary. And, just like that, it would be 4-0 Maple Leafs. The worst part is that the Blue Jackets weren't playing a bad game; tonight just wasn't going their way. A. Maththews, who'd been too quiet in periods one and two, would add goal thirty to his forty-first assist on the previous goal at 16:27. M. Marner would add assist number seventy on the primary while M. Knies would add his twenty-sixth on the secondary. This would put the Maple Leafs up 5-0. The final few minutes would lapse, and the Maple Leafs would shut out the Blue Jackets. 

I know this is frustrating. The Blue Jackets and coaching staff are trying to shake up the lineup and see if they strike something that gets our team back in the win column. Unfortunately, they're running out of time to make that happen, and I wonder if that is impairing this team's success. The Montreal Canadians are currently beating the Philidelphia Flyers 3-1. If that win holds, the Canadians would be ahead of us by six points (3 wins), with us having seven games to play (14 points up for grabs).  To make matters more complicated, one of those remaining games is in less than twenty-four hours, on the road, at the Ottawa Senators. The Senators currently hold the 1st Wild Card spot, and we play them tomorrow night at 5:00 p.m. I work tomorrow afternoon, so if I do a recap, it might only be period three, but with any luck, there will be a reason for me to recap. Fingers crossed! 

Go CBJ!