Blue Jackets are encouraged by penalty kill against Winnipeg
It’s obviously been a rough season for the Blue Jackets (17-34-4). The team’s penalty kill, however, has stood out at times.
Columbus’ penalty killers entered Friday ranked No. 19 in the 32-team NHL, which is not stellar, but not bad considering that the Jackets had given up more goals (143) than all but the Anaheim Ducks (161) and Vancouver Canucks (147) at even strength.
And in Thursday’s 3-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Blue Jackets did something especially impressive.
Winnipeg was given three opportunities totaling 126 seconds with a twoman advantage, but the Blue Jackets didn’t allow a goal. While Kyle Connor did score a power-play tally, it came one second after the five-on-three expired.
“I don’t remember the last NHL game I’ve seen where (there’s) three five-on-threes, that I’ve been involved in,” Larsen said. “Unique circumstance, but the killers were outstanding, (Goalie Joonas Korpisalo) was outstanding. It was a huge momentum lift for us.”
A five-on-three advantage is often thought of as nearly automatic, and while they’re harder to score on than it may appear — the three penalty killers tend to collapse tightly around the net, leaving more space around the perimeter but fewer lanes for the puck to slot through — it’s unquestionably a feat to kill one off, let alone three in one game. The only other time the Blue Jackets killed three five-on-threes in a game was March 12, 2011, and the last time it happened in the NHL was Vancouver at Boston on Feb. 4, 2020.
The Jets totaled 13 shots on the
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power play, 34.2% of their total 38 shots on goal. Defenseman Andrew Peeke led the Blue Jackets with 5:02 of shorthanded ice time, of 22:30 total, followed by Erik Gudbranson at 4:49 (a teamhigh 24:01 total) and Nick Blankenburg at 4:01 (22:30 total).
“We did a great job,” Gudbranson said. “We feel, as a penalty-killing group, that it’s been a really strong, positive point for our year. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’ve always kind of figured it out, and they’ve got a really
good power play. They’ve had it for years. Three five-on-threes, we needed everybody to get through it. I was in the box for a few of them and other guys stepped up, did a great job. And of course, Korpi stood on his head.” bjohnson@dispatch.com @Baileyajohnson_
BLUE JACKETS 3, JETS 1
Winnipeg 1 0 0 - 1
Columbus 0 1 2 - 3
FIRST PERIOD: 1. Winnipeg, Connor 25 (Dubois, Wheeler), 19:58 (pp). Penalties - Foudy, CBJ (tripping), 17:57; Gudbranson, CBJ (hooking), 19:28.
SECOND: 2. Columbus, Laine 15 (Gaudreau, Boqvist), 10:00 (pp). Penalties - Dubois, WPG (hooking), 5:01; Dubois, WPG (holding), 9:05; Peeke, CBJ (holding), 12:33; Gudbranson, CBJ (high sticking), 13:39; Demelo, WPG (Holding), 16:03.
THIRD: 3. Columbus, Johnson 12 (Roslovic, Bemstrom), 9:40; 4. Columbus, Jenner 16 (Korpisalo, Laine), 19:57 (en). Penalties Kuraly, CBJ (hooking), 1:49; Bayreuther, CBJ (delay of game), 3:07; Connor, WPG (hooking), 3:50; Pionk, WPG (tripping), 7:30; Blankenburg, CBJ (delay of game), 13:23.
Shots on goal: Winnipeg 12-12-13 - 37; Columbus 2-14-8 - 24. Power plays: Winnipeg 1 of 7; Columbus 1 of 5. Goalies: Winnipeg, Rittich 9-5-0 (23 shots-21 saves); Columbus, Korpisalo 9-10-3 (37-36). A: 16,032. T: 2:26.