This game started with a whole lot of broken plays in the neutral zone, and when the actual scoring chances came, you were almost surprised. Basically none of them came as a result of extended zone time for either team. Lankinen needed to make some sharp saves, and for the Canucks, their notable chances basically came down to:
-A Brock Boeser wrister while on a 2-on-1 with Max Sasson.
-A Jake DeBrusk snap shot after Linus Karlsson made a beautiful backhand saucer pass on the rush.
-Evander Kane causing a turnover on the forecheck and getting a good shot off on Merzlikins.

Max Sasson took the game’s first penalty when he tripped up Charlie Coyle. Aatu Räty won the faceoff, but the Blue Jackets got set up in a hurry. Adam Fantilli hit the post, and moments later, Charlie Coyle somehow found himself all alone in front of Kevin Lankinen and made a sneaky deke before opening the scoring with a nifty backhander.

Some takeaways from the first:
-Despite the penalty, liked Max Sasson’s game in the first. He made a great defensive play to save a goal less than five minutes into the game, and he also used his speed to create some chances at the other end.
-As a whole, I like the concept of putting Sasson and Drew O’Connor with Brock Boeser. That’s the two fastest Canucks with Boeser. Hopefully they can get him the puck. I like it.
-I almost couldn’t believe my ears when Shorty said that Linus Karlsson is tied for 6th in points among NHL rookies this season.

Columbus pushed their lead to two just over five minutes into the second period after Aatu Räty lost a draw, Marcus Pettersson lost a board and fell down, giving Kirill Marchenko a clear lane to the net. He made no mistake:

Marcus Pettersson took a penalty — because of course he did — and Zach Werenski scored a beauty on the ensuing power play:

I mean, that’s just not all that fair. What a move, what a shot. 3-0.

The Canucks got their first power play chance of the night when Marchenko got his stick in on Conor Garland and was called for hooking. Zeev Buuium resumed his PP1 quarterbacking duties, which was interesting because it was Tom Willander in that spot the last time both young defencemen were in the lineup. The Canucks snapped the puck around nicely on the power play, with Buium and Pettersson both looking very, very good. Eventually, Buium found Pettersson, who snapped a perfect cross-ice feed to Brock Boeser, who finally ended his goal-scoring drought at 22 games.

The look on Boeser’s face… the hug from Pettersson… relief doesn’t accurately describe how Boeser must have felt after that one. Deliverance or catharsis seems more appropriate. I mean, the last time he scored was on November 28th. Happy for him.

Some takeaways from the second:
-I don’t think Adam Foote’s man-on-man defensive zone system has been a great fit for Marcus Pettersson.
-Erik Gudbranson is still playing. Good for him.
-I think the best way to get through this tank and the next few years of Canucks hockey is to just enjoy seeing the best players in the league do their thing. Tonight, Zach Werenski was that guy for me. Of course, we’re also watching closely to see how the young players develop, but appreciating opposing players seems to be easier during a rebuild, right?

To start the third, Liam Ohgren, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser were put together as a trio, and they did some genuinely good things together on their first couple of shifts of the period.

The Canucks had a power play opportunity, but this one didn’t go as well as the first one. The Blue Jackets killed it off, and a few minutes later, Kent Johnson wristed one past Lankinen to extend the Columbus lead.

Some more takeaways from the third:
-Is Elias Pettersson… feeling it again? I DIDN’T SAY HE’S “BACK”, but… he sure was looking good again tonight.
-Elvis Merzlikins really is a strange cat. Staring down Ohgren after a point shot that Ohgren didn’t seem to get a piece of is just… weird.
-Someone suggested that Liam Ohgren’s floor is to become what Vasily Podkolzin has blossomed into in Edmonton: a hardworking middle-six winger who great centres love playing with. Interesting comp.
-Okay, message sent (or whatever). Get Nils Höglander back in the lineup.
-Good game for Linus Karlsson, who had five shots on goal.
-Happy for Rick Bowness, who moves to 2-0 since taking the job in Columbus.

What’s your instant reaction to this game? Let us know in the comments section below!