After CBJ wins, we'll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we'll remember from the Blue Jackets' victory.
BLUE JACKETS 4, PENGUINS 3 (SHOOTOUT)
1. The Blue Jackets responded in two big situations to earn two important points.
For a variety of reasons – the tight NHL standings, the momentum provided by the recent CBJ coaching change, the Blue Jackets’ history in Pittsburgh, among others – this felt like a huge Metropolitan Division matchup in Pittsburgh on Saturday night.
Yet it certainly wasn’t the start Columbus was hoping for. The Blue Jackets were outshot 10-4 in the opening frame, didn’t have a shot on goal in the last 12:07 and were down 2-1 as the Pens answered Zach Aston-Reese's early tally with two of their own.
Head coach Rick Bowness said the Blue Jackets needed to put “the passion back in the game,” and Columbus responded with two good periods, including a second stanza in which they had an 11-1 edge in scoring chances per Natural Stat Trick and took a 3-2 lead.
“I like how we responded after a bad first period,” Bowness said. “We weren’t very good. Give them credit, they came hard, and they were all over us really. But I really like how we adjusted, and we played a lot better in the second and the third.”
Goals by Kirill Marchenko and Danton Heinen – his first as a Jacket, and we should note that both Heinen and Aston-Reese are fourth liners as well as former Penguins – gave Columbus that advantage going to the third, and the Jackets almost got it home in regulation.
Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson each had excellent chances to extend the lead, and the Blue Jackets were sound until the Penguins pushed in the closing minutes. And then with 1:01 left and the goalie pulled, who else but Sidney Crosby tied the score with a very Crosby-like deflection at the side of the net off a CBJ breakdown in coverage.
Fans across Central Ohio could be heard saying “Here we go again,” and in a sense, they were right – the Blue Jackets and Penguins headed to overtime for the fourth time in four games this year. But the Blue Jackets were pretty pleased with how they responded to the Crosby goal, not letting the late tally turn into a deflating moment.
“It’s a tie game, minute left,” Coyle said. “Next line, go out and get it down there, get a scoring chance. We had a scoring chance (from Johnson), then it’s OT. It’s a 0-0 hockey game, next goal wins. Let’s go win it. It’s all positive. You can’t dwell on the past. That’s not the sign of a good team. It’s a loser mentality.”
By the time Coyle’s shootout winner got past Arturs Silovs, the Blue Jackets had two key points in the bank. It was the Jackets’ fourth straight win, moving them within four points of the Penguins for third in the Metro, and allowed the Jackets to win twice in Pittsburgh in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
“Just happy,” Marchenko said of the mood postgame. “Everybody smiles.”
2. Elvis Merzlikins may have turned in his best game of the season, making a number of crucial saves at key times.
Bowness got a look at both CBJ goaltenders in his first two games at the helm, and he liked Merzlikins’ 30-save performance in Thursday’s win over Vancouver enough that the veteran got the starting nod again in Pittsburgh.
The new head coach was interested to see how Merzlikins would respond to the challenge, and he was quite happy with the result. The stat sheet will say Merzlikins allowed three goals and made 29 saves on 32 shots (.906 save percentage), but the pure numbers don't do justice to the number of saves he made at critical times of the game.
At the top of the list were six saves in overtime, including a breakaway chance by Ben Kindel after a turnover and a couple of looks in front moments later by Evgeni Malkin against a tired CBJ defense that was down to five skaters thanks to an early injury to Dante Fabbro.
“Look how great Elvis played,” Bowness said. “You go down to five D, they’re going to be tired and they’re going to be under pressure. Elvis was outstanding tonight, he really was.”
In a duel between two of the three goalies that will represent Latvia at the upcoming Winter Olympics, Merzlikins also stopped three of four Pittsburgh attempts in the shootout, only being bested by former CBJ forward Egor Chinakhov in the third round. The stops against came vs. some pretty talented players – Rickard Rakell, Crosby and Bryan Rust.
“Elvis was really, really, really good,” Coyle said. “Especially shootout – really, really good.”
3. Coyle has been an underrated addition to the Blue Jackets this year, and that’s doubly true during shootouts.
Columbus improved to 5-1 on the season in the skills competition – “Shootouts, it’s for us,” Marchenko said with a smile – and that’s likely not a huge surprise given the talent on the roster. Johnson has dazzled with his patented moves and silky hands, while Marchenko entered Saturday a perfect 5-for-5 in shootouts this season thanks to his quick release.
The proceedings have rarely gotten to Coyle this year, but his shootout winner against the Penguins was the second time this season he was the closer for the Jackets (the other was in Seattle). Johnson tallied to start things off before Silovs rebounded with stops on Adam Fantilli and Marchenko, sending things to the fourth round.
After Merzlikins’ stop on Rust, Coyle made a nasty move to score, coming in from the right side, faking to his backhand, pulling the puck back to his forehand and easily putting it into the open net behind Silovs.
He said he tries to have a variety of moves he can use off of his approach, and he picked the right one against the Penguins. But when asked how he chose this particular option, and if the saves before his attempt influenced his decision, Coyle could only say that instincts took over.
“I’m overthinking now,” Coyle said when asked about all the factors at play. “I don’t know. Sometimes you see a guy try to do a certain thing and it didn’t work out, and it might deter you from it. It’s kind of a mind game. Maybe the goalie thinks you’re not gonna go back to it, so maybe you do. Reverse psychology. You never know. You just try to make the most of it and fully commit to what you’re doing, and hopefully it goes in.”
That it did, sending the Blue Jackets over the boards in celebration. In hockey, there can’t be a much better moment than scoring the shootout winner, turning back toward your bench, and seeing your teammates ready to greet you, right?
“That’s a good feeling,” Coyle said. “That’s one of those you’ll probably miss one day when you’re done playing.”
