Yahoo Autos Columbus Blue Jackets continue to struggle, lose 4-0 to Boston Bruins
Just nine games into the season, a trend is emerging for the Blue Jackets.
They may play well for meaningful stretches, even as much as an entire period or two, but a sputtering offense and leaky defense allows their opponent to take advantage and, eventually, take control of the game.
In two of the Jackets' last three games before Friday's matchup against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena, that trend appeared — a 6-3 loss to the Penguins on Saturday and another 6-3 loss, this time to the Coyotes, on Tuesday. Friday was more of the same, as the Bruins rolled to a 4-0 win over a Columbus team that offered minimal resistance down the stretch.
"They were a way better hockey team than us," defenseman Erik Gudbranson said. "Plain and simple. That’s a team that’s getting to the end of some of their best players and that’s looking to compete for a Stanley Cup this year. We got beat by them in pretty much every area of the ice."
The Bruins took the lead at 8:43 of the first period when defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's shot from the top of the circle deflected off the shaft of Sean Kuraly's stick and into the top corner of the net over Elvis Merzlikins' shoulder.
Play was relatively even through the first period, but in the second period, the Bruins' veteran experience and talented roster overwhelmed the Jackets' attempts to stay in the game. Charlie Coyle scored shorthanded just 4:30 into the second period, adding insult to injury as the Jackets' hapless power play continued to struggle. They are the last team in the NHL without a power-play goal this season.
The sequence leading to the Bruins' third goal summed up the night for the Jackets, who rarely saw sustained offensive zone time and had difficulty challenging Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark. On a shift where the Jackets finally made an extended push in the offensive zone, Kent Johnson stepped into a slap shot from the blue line, but it was blocked by Jake DeBrusk and he immediately took the puck the other way up the ice, tucking it past Merzlikins to make it 3-0.
With 26.1 seconds left in the period, David Pastrnak shot the puck through two pairs of legs for his seventh goal of the season. Pastrnak's wrist shot from the top of the right circle went between Vladislav Gavrikov's legs and then slipped between Merzlikins' to give the Bruins (8-1-0) a 4-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
As the Jackets skated off the ice, boos rained down from large portions of the crowd of 16,162 — the second straight game that the Jackets have been booed.
"The last, fourth goal, it’s on me," Merzlikins said. "I lost mentally. I’m going to be honest. I got mad, really mad, because the feeling when you’re playing in your own building and the fans are booing you — I get it. We deserve it. But it’s not a nice feeling."
Daniil Tarasov replaced Merzlikins in goal to begin the third period, which coach Brad Larsen said was a coach's decision. Tarasov stopped all six shots he faced, but the Jackets couldn't get any of their 11 third-period shots past Ullmark as they fell to 3-6-0 on the season.
"We've got to be better," Larsen said. "All of us."
Key moments from Blue Jackets' loss to Boston Bruins
— Early in the first period, the Jackets had several scoring chances on the power play and all were shut down by Ullmark. And just a minute after the power play expired, Grzelcyk scored the opening goal, putting the Jackets in an early hole. The goal was deflating, and the Bruins raised their level of intensity after taking the lead.
— Similarly, on the power play early in the second period, Coyle won a battle against Johnny Gaudreau along the boards deep in the Jackets' offensive zone. Coyle quickly took off up the ice, cutting into his own offensive zone and working across the grain to send a backhand shot past Merzlikins that caught nearly everyone on the ice by surprise.
It was, again, a deflating moment as the Jackets were trying to find their footing.
— Late in the third period, Ullmark made several 'Grade A' saves on shots from Patrik Laine, who was playing his second game after suffering an elbow sprain in the season opener Oct. 12. Laine's shot appeared to have lower velocity than normal early in the game, and he uncharacteristically whiffed on a couple of shots, but his full-strength one-timer returned at 96.4 miles per hour late in the game.
Already trailing 4-0, a goal from Laine deep into the third likely would've been too little, too late for the Jackets, but Ullmark's repeated ability to snag Laine's dangerous shots out of the air ensured that he maintained his shutout and the Jackets went home empty-handed.
Mathieu Olivier a healthy scratch for Blue Jackets against Bruins
The Jackets acquired Mathieu Olivier from the Nashville Predators in the offseason for a fourth round draft pick in this summer's draft with the goal of adding size and grit to their forward group.
The 6-1, 217-pound winger played the first eight games of the year on the fourth line, with an average ice time of 9:45. He has one assist, seven hits and one fight on his scorecard this season — a scrap against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn Oct. 18.
Larsen scratched Olivier in favor of Liam Foudy for Friday's game. Foudy skated 10:44 in his second game of the season after making his first appearance Sunday in New York.
"I don’t think Oli had his best game (Tuesday)," Larsen said before the game. "I talked to him. He wasn’t alone."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets lose 4-0 to Boston Bruins: game breakdown
