Columbus Blue Jackets defeat the Anaheim Ducks
The Columbus Blue Jackets headed into the Honda Center on Friday 19 November to play the Anaheim Ducks. Earlier in the week, the Blue Jackets handed the Los Angeles Kings their first home
loss of the NHL season. On Friday night they continued their winning ways, defeating the Ducks by a score of 4-3.
Columbus Blue Jackets' captain Rick Nash got the scoring started with a wrist shot from the slot at the 11:02 mark of the first period. The goal gave Nash nine points in his last seven
games. The Nash goal was the only scoring in the first period.
The second period started with Teemu Selanne passing the puck in front of the Columbus net and finding an open Saku Koivu, who put the puck behind Columbus goaltender Steve Mason. The
Koivu goal was scored while the Blue Jackets had two men in the penalty box, Jan Hejda and Marc Methot. Both Columbus players were serving hooking minors that had been called at the end of the first period.
The next goal was also a special teams tally. With Columbus on the power play, the Ducks' Bobby Ryan gathered a Todd Marchant clearing pass and broke in alone, putting the puck past Anaheim
goaltender Jonas Hiller. Ryan’s short-handed goal gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead at 5:01 mark of the second period.
Columbus evened the score during the same power play when Chris Clark deflected the point shot of Mike Commodore into the back of the Anaheim net.
The second period goal scoring continued with the Blue Jackets capitalizing on a three on two breakaway inside the Anaheim zone. The scoring play developed with Andy Murray leaving a drop
pass for Sammy Pahlsson. Hiller stopped Pahlsson’s initial shot, but the goaltender left the rebound in front of the net and Jakub Voracek swooped in and put the puck in the net. The goal gave the Blue Jackets a 3-2 lead.
The Blue Jackets added another goal in the second when Commodore fired a wrist shot from 62 feet out that found its way past Hiller, making the score 4-2.
The Ducks came within one goal at the 7:22 mark of the third period when some sloppy play by Columbus behind their own net left the puck on the stick of the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf. Getzlaf
then directed a quick touch pass to Corey Perry who scored for the only goal of the third period.
The Blue Jackets 4-3 victory was due in part to the play of their goaltender, Mason, who stopped 47 of the Ducks 50 shots. Mason deflected the credit for the win away from himself and
back on the team.
“Anytime you're going to get a lot of pucks early and often, it helps you feel comfortable in the net,” Mason said. “Tonight was one of those nights. They had some very good opportunities,
but our guys did a very good job of preventing second chances."
The Ducks are mired in a four-game losing streak, losing each of those four games by one goal. Their record is now 10-9-3.
With the win, Columbus improves their record to 11-6.
Tags: