SvoNotes: Mistakes doom Blue Jackets to a second straight loss

Through 27 minutes of hockey Saturday night in Nationwide Arena, it looked like it would be a fun night at the rink for the Blue Jackets and their fans.
A strong first period against the New York Rangers continued into the second, and Eric Robinson's goal 6:56 into the middle frame gave Columbus a 2-1 lead and had Nationwide Arena rocking.

At that exact moment, no one could have expected what would come next, as after 29 minutes of hockey, the Blue Jackets were reeling.
First Chris Kreider scored, then Artemi Panarin. By the time Jacob Trouba added a goal to make it a 4-2 game -- and score the Rangers' third goal in a 63-second span, something that had never before happened to the Jackets -- things had a very different complexion.
From there, Columbus had its chances but never could right the ship, dropping a 5-3 result to New York to lose consecutive games for the first time this year.
In the end, all the Jackets could do was rue a trio of defensive mistakes that let the Rangers not only tie the score but take the lead and even extend it.
"You have to gather yourself," head coach Brad Larsen said. "You have to calm the mind down when the storm hits there a bit, and we weren't able to do that tonight."

It was a stunning turn of events, as Columbus peppered Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin with chances in the first period and got on the board with Jakub Voracek's power-play goal. Former Jackets forward Artemi Panarin countered with a transition goal past Elvis Merzlikins to make it 1-1 after a period, but Columbus was playing well.
The Jackets carried that into the second, and Robinson's transition snipe had the team feeling good -- and then the roof caved in. The Rangers pushed on the next shift, but the Jackets had the puck with a chance to clear. Instead, Alexandre Texier's pass behind his own net got past Vladislav Gavrikov, Trouba pinched in from the point, and Kreider got lost between Gavrikov and defensive partner Gavin Bayreuther for a tip past Merzlikins that tied the score just 43 seconds after Robinson's goal.
Thirty-six seconds after that, the Rangers had the lead. Panarin shot the puck from the right point with Kappo Kaako crashing the net, and the deflected puck sat in front. Merzlikins chose to be aggressive and try to clear the puck, but Ryan Strome knocked down the clear and collected the puck to the right of the net. With the CBJ chasing the play, Strome feathered a pass to Panarin in the slot; Jake Bean tried to block a shot but instead took himself out of the play, and Panarin ripped a wrister top shelf.
Trouba's goal making it 4-2 was a true back breaker, though. The Jackets had things covered defensively as Julien Gauthier dropped a pass to Alexis Lafreniere, but both Yegor Chinakhov and Andrew Peeke went with the former No. 1 overall pick. From there, Gauthier flipped a pass to Barclay Goodrow going behind the net as Peeke tried to recover, leaving Gabriel Carlsson having to cover two men. Carlsson slid down to block a pass from Goodrow to Trouba, but Goodrow simply went behind the net and quickly made the pass to Trouba in front to put past Merzlikins.
"They tie it up to make it 2-2, get some momentum back on their side, and we have to do a better job of trying to kill that," Zach Werenski said. "They score two more quick ones. The next thing you now, it's 4-2 and you're chasing the game at that point. They're playing with a lead, and whenever teams in this league are playing with a lead, it's tough to come from behind.
"I think we have to calm ourselves down and just make plays. Protect the slot. We gave too many slot chances. And try to get pucks in and get back to our game."
From there, the Blue Jackets had more than half a game to try to get back into it, but it's fair to say Columbus was staggered. The Rangers could have added more in the second -- only some tremendous saves by Merzlikins on the penalty kill kept it 4-2 -- and while the Jackets had some chances as the game went on, Kreider added a power-play goal early in the third and it was tough to rally from there despite Texier's late goal.
"I just think we didn't play our game for a number of minutes there, and they took it to us obviously," CBJ captain Boone Jenner said. "We haven't really had anything like that this year, so it's out of character for us, but we just weren't helping ourselves with our coverages and getting back, helping each other out, puck support. Obviously, they capitalized on it."

Stars Shine for NY

The Rangers are now 8-3-3 and have some pretty good players, but a few of them stand out.
There's Panarin, and Columbus fans don't have to be told just how dynamic the Russian winger can be, as CBJ fans watched him pull the strings on the attack for two years in 2017-18 and '18-19.
Defenseman Adam Fox doesn't seem like he's yet a household name, but anyone who watches the NHL knows how good he is. The 23-year-old came out of seemingly nowhere to win the Norris Trophy last year, and his puck control, vision and offensive instincts already make him one of the most dangerous blueliners in the league.
Chris Kreider isn't a superstar, but he certainly knows how to score, as evidenced by six 20-goal seasons in his NHL career to this point. This year, he has 11 goals, making him just one of five players in the league to reach double digits to this point.
And Shesterkin has made a relatively seamless transition from his native Russia to North American hockey, posting a career save percentage of .922 at the NHL level in his three seasons in the league.
Columbus has certainly seen enough of all four this year, so perhaps it's good the Metropolitan Division rivals will play only three times this year instead of four. With his two goals tonight, Panarin has a 2-3-5 line in two games against the Jackets this year, while Kreider has four goals in two games and Fox has five assists. That's a combined 6-8-14 line in two games for the trio of skaters, while Shesterkin has stopped 62 of 65 shots against (.954 save percentage) before leaving late in this one after being injured on Texier's goal that made it a 5-3 game.
In other words, the stars from New York certainly have shined against the Jackets. When asked about the offensive fireworks provided by the trio of Panarin, Fox and Kreider, Jenner acknowledged it's a big ask.
"We definitely know the players they have, the skill they have," the captain said. "You give them a couple of chances, they can make you pay. I think we just gave them too much, even in our zone in our coverages and stuff."

A Tale of Two Elvii

Merzlikins has now played in seven games this year, and the splits are pretty stark.
Against the Rangers, he has allowed nine goals in two games, leaving him with a .884 save percentage vs. the Blueshirts, not to mention an 0-2 record.
Meanwhile, in his other five starts, Merzlikins is a perfect 5-0, allowing just eight goals in those contests. That leaves him with a .951 save percentage against teams that are not the Rangers.
All small sample sizes, to be sure, but perhaps it's best he not see this squad again this year. OK, we kid a bit, but it was interesting to hear his postgame comments. Not because he talked about the Rangers specifically but because he was disappointed he couldn't pick up his Blue Jackets teammates.
He was left out to dry a bit there in the second period when New York made its run, but with the Jackets on the second half of a back-to-back and Merzlikins being the only player who didn't take the ice the night before against Washington, the goalie was disappointed he didn't do more to lift his team.
"The guys had a good game last night, and I feel that I was the cheater today," he said. "They played really well last night, and I was the only guy who was fresh (tonight). They were tired. It's a back-to-back; we all know how it is. But I should give more for the team. I was the only one who was rested, who didn't play, who had the fresh legs and the fresh everything.
"I should be the difference maker in that moment."

Stats and Facts

• Voracek scored in the first period on the power play off a nifty feed from Oliver Bjorkstrand. That gave each of them five-game point streaks, with Voracek notching a goal and six assists and Bjorkstrand with a 2-4-6 line.
• Voracek's goal was the first tally for the Czech winger in a CBJ sweater since March 9, 2011, against St. Louis. He had skated 27 straight games with the Jackets without scoring a goal.
• The Rangers' three goals in 63 seconds set a new CBJ franchise record, as the Jackets previously saw the quickest three goals against come Feb 18, 2019, when Tampa Bay scored thrice in 1:15 (Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Point).
• Largely on the strength of a strong first period for the Jackets, Natural Stat Trick had the Blue Jackets with a 3.10-1.92 edge in expected goals at 5-on-5.
• Columbus will play 16 back-to-backs this season, and this game completed the first of those.
• Robinson's goal gave him a career-best three-game point streak (1-2-3).
• Texier scored his fourth goal of the season and now has points in three straight games (2-1-3), tying a career best.
• Gavin Bayreuther got an assist on Texier's goal, the first helper of his CBJ career (previously 1-0-1 in 12 games). With that point, 20 of 23 CBJ skaters have notched a point this year.
• The Rangers had a 28-10 edge in hits in the game.
• CBJ winger Kevin Stenlund skated a team-low 3:48 and did not see the ice in the third period.
• The Blue Jackets are now 4-3-0 when trailing entering the third period.