The Columbus Dispatch

Rewind: Columbus Blue Jackets keep composure to spoil Colorado Avalanche home opener

By Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch,

9 hours ago

DENVER — The Blue Jackets didn’t get a win to open the season but they're coming home with a 6-4 upset victory over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena.

After building a 5-3 lead in the first two periods, they kept the Avs at bay for 18-plus minutes of the third until Ross Colton cut it to 5-4 with 1:20 left and the Avalanche net empty for a 6-on-5 advantage. Momentum swung entirely to the Avs' side, sending a packed arena into a frenzy, but a holding penalty on Casey Mittelstadt with 39 seconds left helped the Blue Jackets thwart the comeback.

"It reinforces a lot of things we're trying to do as a team," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. "They have some positive vibes about how we're playing the game and how they played the game together ... in a tough building to play against and a tough team."

Kirill Marchenko scooped up a loose puck with time winding down, sent a setup to Sean Monahan in front of the empty net and that sealed the deal. The Blue Jackets (1-1-0) return home next for what's going to be an emotional night remembering Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau prior to their home-opener Tuesday against the Florida Panthers.

Columbus Blue Jackets pull off stunner, spoil Colorado Avalanche home opener

A great start, strong response after Colorado pulled even and a two-goal lead protected in the third period added up to the Blue Jackets earning their first win of the season late Saturday night against a Stanley Cup contender.

Goals by Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov provided the lead for Tarasov, who made 26 saves to earn the win in his first start this season. Monahan's empty-netter sealed it late.

Colorado Avalanche cut Columbus Blue Jackets' lead to 5-4, late third period

Ross Colton scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:19 left in regulation, pulling the Avs to within 5-4 with their net empty. The Blue Jackets are trying to hang on.

Columbus Blue Jackets fending off Colorado Avalanche midway into third

As expected, the Avs have come out flying for the third period. They've pinned the puck inside the Blue Jackets' end of the ice for much of the first 9:28 before Columbus finally got some offensive zone time prior to the period's long TV stoppage.

The score remains 5-3 in favor of the Blue Jackets, who'd love to make a great memory before their long, late flight home tonight.

Third period has started at Ball Arena: Blue Jackets 5, Avalanche 3

Here we go. The puck is down for the third period and the Blue Jackets have a two-goal margin to protect with the potential of spoiling the Avalanche's home opener at stake. Goalies remain Tarasov for Columbus, Annunen for Colorado. Atmosphere in here is electric.

Second intermission: Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Colorado Avalanche 3

That was an entertaining period of hockey, now wasn't it?

The Blue Jackets and Avalanche combined to score five goals, all scored in the first 9:49 of the period. Colorado had the better of it, topping Columbus 13-7 in shots and 12-10 in scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Avalanche have a 23-15 edge in shots through the first two periods, but the Blue Jackets have the lead thanks to goals by Zach Werenski, Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko and Yegor Chinakhov ― the last three scored in the second. Colorado's goals were scored by Nathan MacKinnon, Miles Wood and Casey Mittelstadt, the last two in the second.

The Avs are 2 for 3 on power plays, so the Blue Jackets have to be mindful of not taking bad penalties in the third. MacKinnon will definitely rally his team during this intermission break, since the Avs lost their season-opener 8-4 on Wednesday and now find themselves down 5-3 in their soldout home opener.

He's going to come out of the locker room for the third breathing fire, so this will be a great test for the Blue Jackets. Those who haven't erased their memory banks from last season will recall the Jackets blew way too many leads in third periods of games they wound up losing.

New head coach, new systems and some new players too. Lets' see how it works out for them.

Yegor Chinakhov puts Blue Jackets up 5-3 in the second period

The Blue Jackets might have some issues keeping pucks out of their net again this season, but they've played an exciting brand of hockey in their first two games. If this is what the rest of the season is going to be like, buckle your chin straps.

Midway through the second period, the Blue Jackets are again ahead by two goals, 5-3, after Yegor Chinakhov's first goal of the season. Camping in front of the net, he snapped a quick shot off Sean Monahan's feed from behind the net off Annunen's shoulder and into the net at 9:49 of the period.

Zach Aston-Reece ruled out with upper-body injury

Aston-Reece, the recipient of a high hit early in the first period by Colorado's Chris Wagner, is out for the rest of the game with an upper-body injury. He played just 34 seconds on one shift.

Kirill Marchenko puts Blue Jackets back on top 4-3, still early second

We're getting into Oprah levels of goal scoring here.

"You get a goal! You get a goal! You, sir, you also get a goal!"

Less than a minute after Mittelstadt knotted it 3-3, Kirill Marchenko netted his first goal of the season to put the Blue Jackets back on top, 4-3, at 4:33 of the second period. Marchenko wheeled in the slot and fired a low wrist shot that snuck under Annunen's left pad.

Casey Mittelstadt ties it 3-3 for Avalanche with another power play goal

Just 1:31 after Wood's goal got the Avs within a goal, Mittelstadt even the score to cap a power play following Damon Severson's slashing penalty.

Adam Fantilli, Miles Wood exchange early goals for Blue Jackets, Avalanche in second period

Fantilli's first goal of the season, scored on his 20th birthday, put the Blue Jackets up 3-1 just 1:56 into the second, chasing Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev for backup Justus Annunen.

The margin didn't last long, however. Wood scored 15 seconds into the ensuing shift to pull Colorado within a goal again at 3-2 at 2:11 of the period.

Second period underway for Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche

The Blue Jackets and Avalanche are back on the ice at Ball Arena with the score still favoring Columbus 2-1 almost two minutes into the second period. Cole Sillinger's line took the opening shift for the Blue Jackets.

First intermission: Columbus Blue Jackets 2, Colorado Avalanche 1

The Avalanche started the game with intensity in their home-opener, but the Blue Jackets punched back — literally at first and then via the scoreboard. Mathieu Olivier standing up for Zach Aston-Reese following a high hit by Colorado's Chris Wagner boosted the game's intensity even more, paving the way for Columbus goals 1:07 apart by Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson.

The Avalanche outshot the Blue Jackets 10-8 in the period, but most of their offense was generated after they'd fallen behind by two goals. Columbus had Colorado on its collective heels for a large part of the period before the Avs rallied late on Nathan MacKinnon's late power-play goal.

Cole Sillinger tripping penalty leads to MacKinnon power play goal foe Colorado Avalanche

Late in the first period, the Avalanche finally started to get some traction inside the Blue Jackets' zone. They racked up shots against Tarasov, controlled the puck and eventually drew Cole Sillinger into a tripping penalty for Colorado's first power play.

MacKinnon capped it, cutting the Columbus lead to 2-1 with just eight seconds left in the period. That's how the score stayed at the horn.

Columbus Blue Jackets impressive early against Colorado Avalanche

Two games and almost four periods into their season, the Blue Jackets look like a team on a mission here at Ball Arena. They lead 2-0 with 5:29 left in the first period on goals by Werenski and Johnson, but they've also made Georgiev work to keep it that margin. Daniil Tarasov is also looking good in net.

Columbus Blue Jackets race out to 2-0 lead on Werenski, Johnson goals

Shots that didn't go into the net Thursday in Minnesota for the Blue Jackets are now going into the net here in Colorado. They've taken a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Zach Werenski at 6:38 of the first period and Kent Johnson at 7:45 against Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev.

Werenski, a defenseman, charged down the slot on a 3-on-2 rush and deflected a perfect backhand pass from Yegor Chinakhov past Georgiev's right pad for a 1-0 lead. Just 67 seconds later, Johnson raced up the right wing and fired a wrist shot from a sharp angle that beat Georgiev high to the short side.

Werenski and Johnson have scored every goal of the Blue Jackets' young season thus far, two each and one in each game.

Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier takes issue with illegal hit by Avalanche forward Chris Wagner

Just 2:41 into the game, the Blue Jackets and Avalanche got into a physical altercation after Avalanche forward Chris Wagner clipped Blue Jackets forward Zach Aston-Reese high with his left elbow during action inside the Colorado zone. Mathieu Olivier skated over after the whistle and cross-checked Wagner in the chest, knocked him to the ice and began throwing punches.

It set off a melee that gave the Blue Jackets an early power play. Olivier was sent off for roughing, while Wagner was called for interference and Josh Manson was assessed the extra penalty for roughing. The Avalanche killed off the Jackets' power play and the game remains 0-0 early in the first.

That sequence may have set an early tone for this one, though.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Colorado Avalanche have started

After an on-ice celebration of Denver's dual MVPs from the NBA and NHL last season ― Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon — the Blue Jackets are playing hockey at Ball Arena. It's 0-0 less than two minutes into the game.

Big game tonight for Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson

After playing seven years for the Blue Jackets, Jack Johnson ventured off to play for four other NHL teams before making his way back to Columbus this season. One of those teams he played with is the Avalanche, whom he played with for three seasons in two separate stints.

During his first season with the Avs, he contributed to winning the 2022 Stanley Cup. It was a crowning achievement for the gritty veteran defenseman, who played the past two seasons in Colorado. Following the Blue Jackets' optional morning skate, Johnson said he'll always remember time in the Rocky Mountains fondly.

"Those were special times," Johnson said. "It'll forever have a special place in my heart and I'll cherish those memories and lifelong friendships. When you win (a championship) somewhere, you're forever bonded with them, so it'll be a little weird playing against them again, but it's always a pleasure to see them."

Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche lines, defense pairs, goalies

This is the Avs' home opener, so they're going through pregame hype videos. We're inside 10 minutes from the scheduled puck drop. Neither team made changes to their projected lineups from morning skates. Here's another look at those:

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Colorado Avalanche lineups and starters

Here are the active lineups for each team, starters (in bold), scratches, coaches and officials.

Daniil Tarasov gets his first start of the season for Columbus Blue Jackets vs Colorado Avalanche

Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason told reporters at the end of his morning press conference that his lineup against the Avalanche would be the same as it was in Minnesota, with one notable exception.

Elvis Merzlikins, who started the season-opener against the Wild, would handle the backup role at Ball Arena while Daniil Tarasov makes his season debut in the team's second game. Merzlikins outperformed Tarasov during the preseason and was solid while making 23 saves in Minnesota, so the decision was a little surprising. Tarasov, however, beat the Avalanche in April last season to split the two-game season series.

During the preseason, Merzlikins and Tarasov both got three starts. Tarasov started more often in games featuring more AHL players, while Merzlikins got mostly the NHL roster. Their numbers were starkly different, though. Merzlikins went 2-1-0 with a 1.91 goals-against average and .932 save percentage, while Tarasov went 1-2-0 with a 4.99 GAA and .809 save percentage while allowing 13 of the 27 goals the Blue Jackets allowed as a team in eight exhibition games.

Columbus Blue Jackets looking to lessen odd-man rushes allowed

Overall, the Blue Jackets were pleased with their performance to open the season Thursday at Xcel Energy Center. They lost a close one, 3-2, but dominated puck possession and two of their top three forward lines dictated play most of the night.

There were a few glaring issues, though. The Jackets' aggressiveness at the offensive end led to the Wild springing away for odd-numbered counterattacks, including a couple breakaways. They also had some hiccups inside their own blue line, most notably on Joel Eriksson Ek's goal in the second period. Adam Fantilli overskated a puck along the wall, near the left point, and the Wild pounced on it for a tic-tac-toe play that resulted in the goal and a 2-1 lead.

Elvis Merzlikins took care of the breakaways and odd-man rushes with high-level saves, but the Blue Jackets don't want to put their goalies into as many of those situations going forward ― especially against the Avs.

"We had a video session (Saturday) on some things in our defensive zone, and there were probably things in all three zones, that we wanted to just tighten up," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. "Nothing major, and to be honest, the mistakes that we made were pretty aggressive mistakes, which we’ve asked the group to do ... and we understand there will be mistakes that happen and end up in our net. We just need to limit them a little bit better.”

Where to find the Columbus Blue Jackets' TV/Radio broadcast against Colorado Avalanche

Tonight's game will be broadcast by Bally Sports Ohio with Steve Mears on play-by-play and Jody Shelley providing in-game analysis. Pregame and postgame shows bookend the production.

Bob McGelligott will call the game on radio, which can be heard on stations included in the Blue Jackets Radio Network throughout Ohio and parts of West Virginia. Locally in Columbus, the game will be broadcast on the team's alternate flagship station, 93.3 FM The Bus.

Columbus Blue Jackets projected lineup vs Colorado Avalanche

Forwards

Yegor Chinakhov – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko

James van Riemsdryk – Adam Fantilli – Kevin Labanc

Mikael Pyyhtia – Cole Sillinger – Kent Johnson

Zach Aston-Reese – Sean Kuraly – Mathieu Olivier

Defense pairings

Zach Werenski – Ivan Provorov

Jake Christiansen – Damon Severson

Jack Johnson – Erik Gudbranson

Goalies

Daniil Tarasov

Elvis Merzlikins

Scratched: D Jordan Harris, D David Jiricek, F Dylan Gambrell

Injured: F Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery), F Dmitry Voronkov (upper body), F Justin Danforth (wrist), F Gavin Brindley (fractured finger)

Colorado Avalanche projected lineup vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Forwards

Nikolai Kovalenko – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen

Ross Colton – Casey Mittelstadt – Calum Ritchie

Miles Wood – Parker Kelly – Logan O’Connor

Ivan Ivan – Chris Wagner – Joel Kiviranta

Defense pairings

Devon Toews – Cale Makar

Samuel Girard – Josh Manson

Calvin de Haan – Sam Malinski