Dallas Stars @ Columbus Blue Jackets: Season 26 Hockey Fights Cancer Game Recap (14)

After an exhilarating win Tuesday night, when they scored 7 goals against a strong Colorado Avalanche squad, our Columbus Blue Jackets would look to keep their winning ways on Hockey Fights Cancer night. The Blue Jackets gave the special crowd a game worth remembering, keeping pace with another playoff-caliber team. The score would stand at 0-0 until 6:27 in period three when Mikko Rantanen would score his ninth goal of the season, giving the Stars a late 1-0 lead. Wyatt Johnston would pick up the only assist on this Stars' goal, giving him eleven this season.  Rick Bowness would use his 30-second timeout after, debating the idea of challenging for goaltender interference against Cam Talbot, but decided it wasn't definitive enough to take the gamble. So, we'd play on, and boy did we! The Blue Jackets would pressure the Stars, and it would pay off at 16:46! Goal one of the season for Zach Werenski would tie this game at 1-1 with less than four minutes to play in regulation! Kent Johnson, who's having a season, picks up his seventh assist this season on the primary. Matthew Knies, who we acquired from the Maple Leafs in the trade for Kirill Marchenko, adds his fourth assist of the season on the secondary. The rest of the period would elapse without another goal, although the Blue Jackets had a few more nice chances before regulation would end. Our Blue Jackets woudl gain a hard-fought point and head into overtime to try and collect a second.

At this point in the game, the Blue Jackets led in shots on goal 29-25. In overtime, the Stars would lead in shots on goal, 3-1, but all four combined shots wouldn't result in a goal. So, on to a shootout we go! 

In round 2 of the shootout, Valeri Nichushkin would score. This goal would go down as the shootout winner. That said, in round 3, Kent Johnson would add a goal of his own and end the game before Cam Talbot could face a third Stars shooter! Our Blue Jackets take the second point and win their second game in a row against a second playoff-level team. I think this team is finding its identity, and doing so in November is a bright spot for the future. 

Zach Werenski, for his tying goal in period 3, is the Third Star of the Game. 

Casey DeSmith, the Stars' goalie, is the Second Star of the Game. He stopped 29 of our 30 shots on his net. That equaled a .967 save percentage. 

Cam Talbot, who had 27 saves on the Stars' 28 shots on his net, is the First Star of the Game. This equaled a .964 save percentage. 

Our Blue Jackets will take their winning ways on the road tonight as this is the first game in a back-to-back. Tonight, a shootout win against the Dallas Stars; tomorrow night, hopefully a win against the Buffalo Sabers. The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m!

GO CBJ!!  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is There a Team Altering Trade Forming in Columbus? 3/3/2026

I'll start out by saying what I normally do the first week of March every season: Unless under special circumstances, I only allow myself to speculate one week a year, and that is NHL Trade Deadline Week.  I could be wrong, and I only have information avalible to the public. I am not an insider, and I've never claimed to be. That said, something has happened tonight that gives me a gut feeling our General Manager, Don Waddell, could be up to something. What I am about to lay out is either a coincidence or a fact, and only time will tell. Here are my thoughts. Let me make this very clear: I have multiple reasons to love each of our players. So, what I'm about to say comes from a business standpoint only. Kent Johnson had been a healthy scratch for the last two games. He's a young player with decent numbers, which could be an asset to any of the other 31 NHL teams. I firmly believed that he'd be leaving us, and, if he did, I would of course wish him nothing but the be...
Read more

If I Were in Charge of the Columbus Blue Jackets: My Captain and Alternates...(8/8/26)

 A disclaimer before we begin. I study this team and keep up with press releases. I am not on the inside. I am just a thoughtful fan who is often optimistically realistic. Also, anything I say about players in this post is strictly business. I shouldn't have to say this, but my loyal readers know how much I care about every player on this team. If you're new here, now you know. You don't have to agree with me, but if I were in charge of the Columbus Blue Jackets, this is what I'd do regarding our outstanding decisions.  Captain This is a big debate amongst fans. Honestly, around the March trade deadline, I was wondering if Boone Jenner would be dealt. He wasn't and finished out what would ultimately be his final season as the leader of our Blue Jackets. I wish him nothing but the best in Washington, and am very eager to see how he fits in. That said, it was clear a new leader would be named for the 2026-27 season. My mind was set on who would take that 'C': ...
Read more

If I Were Don Waddell, This is What I'd Do Ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

So, a few days ago, I wrote a blog post that I hoped wouldn't hold up. I think my hopes have been realized. In that post, I centered on how our captain, Boone Jenner, had been listed as out against the Nashville Predators under 'maintenance'. I got an uneasy feeling this could result in a trade due to the timing and the reason he wouldn't play. Tonight, he not only played against the Florida Panthers but also had the game-winning goal. So, although anything can still happen, I feel less anxious about Boone leading us tomorrow before the NHL Trade Deadline at 3:00 p.m. So, with that said, what would I do if I were Don Waddell?  Nothing.  You read that right, 5th Line, I wouldn't touch this team. I say this for two main reasons. First, our best player and defenseman, Zach Werenski, has been out ill for the last three games. This team has rallied without him to win once in overtime and twice in regulation in those three games. Further, the first game they won without h...
Read more