A back-and-forth contest in Boston went the distance and then some, as the Columbus Blue Jackets fell in a shootout to the hometown Bruins. Regulation and overtime finished 2-2, with many ebbs and flows. Early on, the CBJ dictated pace but couldn’t get the majority of the goals. And later, the Bruins made a heavy push, while the visitors withstood the offense.
Lots of latter-half penalties disrupted the flow (7 minors total after the 10 minute mark in the 2nd), and goaltending on the kill kept either side from seriously shifting the game. In the end, Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug were enough to grab the extra point in the shootout.
The Good: Kerby Rychel
The young forward continued to make the most of his NHL time. Rychel finished the night with 2 points. One was an assist on Dalton Prout’s weird-angle goal. The other was Rychel’s second career goal, a tip off a shot Justin Falk’s point delivery. (Foligno was the first player given credit for the tally, and the scoring was changed later on).
Rychel goal? 2-2 #CBJ https://t.co/rcyLn5CgAt
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) January 24, 2016
This was Rychel’s third career multi-point game, and his second in the past three games (he had another 1-1 result vs Washington). It’s all the more impressive when considering ice time (Rychel finished with only 10:09, and no time on the powerplay). Rychel was also a strong performer in the shot battle, finishing the night with a 66.7% even strength CF% (16-8, via Natural Stat Trick). He did a solid job helping to push play forward against a decent Boston team.
The Also Very Good: Joonas Korpisalo
With Bobrovsky back on IR, the Blue Jackets turned to the rookie Korpisalo again. Tonight, he continued his strong play, and kept Columbus close throughout. The Fin turned aside 32 of 34 shots against, a stellar .941 SV%. He was a big part of the CBJ penalty kill, and he held Boston scoreless on their 5 man advantage chances.
Maybe the best save of the night? This one on Krejci is a good pick.
Glove save and a beauty! #CBJ https://t.co/2cIgZaYOGZ
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) January 24, 2016
Sam recently shared some thoughts on the state of Columbus goaltending, and it’s well worth another look with Bob on the shelf for some time. Tonight’s showing only adds to the (to-date) excellent performance from Korpisalo. The sample is still oh-so-small, so we’re still learning about Korpisalo (just as he’s learning about the NHL, and other teams are learning about him). For now? He’s doing great, and with each successive good game? It’s easier to feel comfortable with Joonas in the cage.
The Great: Patrice Bergeron
In my mind, Bergeron will forever be underrated until he’s listed in the Top 3 skaters in those perpetual (and heated and, yes, silly) “Best in the NHL” discussions. Bergeron holds 3 of the past 4 Selke Trophies, and is perhaps the most effective Corsi player in the league (with another 67% showing tonight), and somehow ends up behind Tavares, Toews, Stamkos and 33 others in ESPN’s pre-season player ranking.
Bergeron does everything right, and was fun to watch Saturday night. Bergeron made the right read time after time, was a dangerous offensive passer, and was a one-man force behind the CBJ net on the PK. Travis Yost posted some Bergeron data at TSN last March, emphasizing the center’s influence on the Bruins’ play. He is an essential player for Boston and it’s hard to overstate his importance.
While Ovechkin, Benn and others rightfully get attention for gaudy point totals, Bergeron is lurking close behind. Coming into tonight, the Bruin was tied for 15th in league points, and has the 28th most points since the half-season lockout year. He’s a brilliant player, and I’m glad we get to watch him.
The Blue Jackets play again Monday night in Columbus, for the first of a home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens. See you then!
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