When a fast-paced game couldn’t settle it, a skills competition did. And after the last shot was taken, Columbus was just a pawn in Detroit’s quest for its 16th consecutive home victory.
Playing in one of the oldest barns in the National Hockey League, one of the Blue Jackets’ newest players started the scoring. Ryan Russell, playing in his eighth NHL game, made it 1-0 when he chopped in a pass from Derek Dorsett at 8:51 of the first period.
Nearly two minutes later, the Red Wings evened the score at 1-1 as defenseman Niklas Kronwall powered into the offensive zone and ripped a shot past Curtis Sanford.
In the second period, Columbus’ discipline started to falter. After a penalty-free first frame, the Blue Jackets took three trips to the sin bin in the next 20 minutes. As a result, Detroit picked up momentum and began to dominate puck possession.
Despite only taking four second-period shots, Columbus’ Nikita Nikitin was able to sneak in a goal before the Red Wings could strike again. The goal came on the Blue Jackets’ lone power play of the period.
Following the goal, Columbus did not register a shot for roughly 20 minutes. Detroit, feeding off its defensive successes, was able to knot the game again at 11:03 of the middle frame.
With the score tied at 2-2, the Blue Jackets fell back on their heels. Columbus’ inability to fire pucks on net allowed the Red Wings the opportunity to dictate play.
Much to the Blue Jackets’ dismay, the third period looked like a mirror image of the second. Then, midway through the frame, the norm was shaken as Columbus and Detroit were forced to shorten their benches.
At 10:09 of the period, Henrik Zetterberg smashed Nikita Nikitin face-first into the end boards. Zetterberg was tossed from the contest and Nikitin did not return to the ice.
The hit only added to the tenacious style of play that eventually carried into overtime. Even with a thrilling extra five minutes, neither team could break the tie, sending the game into a shootout.
In the shootout, the goalies remained consistent. Valtteri Filppula showed his handles in the fourth round and exposed Sanford for the eventual game-winning goal.
Demoralized by their second consecutive division loss, the Blue Jackets move on to Nashville and Tampa Bay before taking a mid-season break for the All-Star Game.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
