Upon being traded to the Blue Jackets, Colton Gillies was not rude when asked about his relationship with Minnesota Wild. The young center merely specified he had circled the date of Columbus’ next meeting with his former squad.
On Tuesday night, neither Gillies nor the rest of the Blue Jackets had forgotten the magnitude of the game, as Columbus surged past the Wild 3-1.
For the majority of the opening period, the Blue Jackets possessed the puck in their offensive zone, passed around to set up a shot, then scrambled for any loose rebounds.
Scoring opened at 8:59 of the first period when the Blue Jackets’ potent offense finally sneaked a shot past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom. David Savard, whose blast from the point found its way through a cluster of players, picked up his first NHL goal with the tally.
On the ensuing faceoff, Minnesota tried to coax Jared Boll into a fight. Despite the already prevalent physical nature of the game, the gloves stayed on.
The Wild settled down after a few more minutes and eventually started to play on the other end of the ice. Despite registering only seven shots in the first period, Minnesota tied the game at 1-1 before the teams retreated to their locker rooms.
In the second frame, the Blue Jackets regained the lead on the power play. The goal was another product of great puck movement. After evaluating his options, Rick Nash found Antoine Vermette cutting across the slot for the 2-1 lead.
Minnesota outshot Columbus in the second period, 13-9, but Curtis Sanford was perfect.
Coming out for the third period, the Blue Jackets needed an insurance goal to protect their advantage. Five minutes into the final frame, Columbus’ Jeff Carter scored on a rebound to give the home team some extra security. Gillies, who had been active the entire night, picked up an assist on the goal.
The Wild put on a late-game push with time dwindling, but the Blue Jackets battled to the final horn, recording their second back-to-back victory of the season.
It was a special win for Gillies, whose gritty style of play didn’t earn him any new friends from the North Star State. Behind the bench, an equally enthusiastic Todd Richards watched his team celebrate its victory against the squad he formerly coached. It was a good night in Columbus.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
