Columbus Blue Jackets blow 5-0 lead, set NHL record with OT win: 4 takeaways from Toronto
TORONTO ― The only things missing from the Blue Jackets’ locker room on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena were the loss and feelings of emptiness.
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Otherwise, the Jackets’ 6-5 overtime victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs mirrored their seven previous games this season when they lost after blowing a third period lead. Kent Johnson’s OT winner to cap his first three-point NHL game was celebrated, but there wasn’t much rejoicing after another dizzying third period that erased a 5-0 lead the Jackets built in the first two.
They’re now the only team in NHL history to fumble a five-goal lead in the third period and win, which would be a fully dubious record if not for the winning part. They're also just the sixth team in league history to cough up a five-goal lead in any period and win, something that hadn't happened in the past 31 years.
“I don’t really have, like, words for it I guess?” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. “Confusing a little bit. Obviously, we’ve blown some leads in here. When you’re up five … I don’t really know how to explain it.”
How do you explain it?
The Blue Jackets (10-16-5) are so far beyond the bizarre with their Twilight Zone third periods that it’s way past the point of simple explanation. It’s now become the expectation for them to blow leads, especially in the third, and they keep meeting them.
Here are five takeaways:
Kent Johnson’s confidence saves Blue Jackets further embarrassment
Perhaps the rest of the Blue Jackets should take after Johnson when things begin to spiral out of control.
Rather than allowing bad thoughts to fester, Johnson becomes a goldfish ― which the popular television series “Ted Lasso” made famous for its short memory span. That’s how Johnson approached OT with a positive mindset while some of his teammates — and many jaded Blue Jackets fans — couldn’t get past a feeling of “here we go again” that lives rent free in their heads.
"I was just excited,” Johnson said. “It was overtime. You reset. You don’t really care about the third period at that point. It’s just overtime, so just try to have fun playing it and get the job done. Maybe it’s hard for some guys. For me, I don't find it too hard. It’s a great opportunity. You’re in 3-on-3 OT, so that’s kind of what I live for as a player, so I was excited.”
It showed.
Johnson’s winner was his second goal of the night to complete his three-point effort. He also set up the game’s first goal with a beautiful no-look feed to Patrik Laine’s tape for the game’s first goal and expertly tipped Andrew Peeke’s shot past Ilya Samsonov for a 2-0 lead.
After a slow start to his second NHL season, Johnson is playing with confidence gained during the only AHL stint of his career. After tearing up that league with five goals, 10 assists and 15 points in 10 games as the Cleveland Monsters’ top center, the Jackets’ “goldfish” is becoming a force in the NHL now.
“I’ve been here since Kent made it to the NHL,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “I would have to go back in my memory bank, but I would be pretty convinced that it was his best game.”
Johnson’s output against the Maple Leafs pushed his season totals to three goals, six assists and nine points in 15 games. He also finished with a +4 plus/minus rating that moved his overall number from -1 to +3 in that category.
“He’s been playing great,” forward Johnny Gaudreau said. “He went to the AHL, had 60 points or something in 10 games, now he’s back up here. He’s playing well for us, he’s contributing offensively and it’s great to see him playing well.”
Patrik Laine injury forces Columbus Blue Jackets to scramble again
The sight of Laine leaving the arena with his left arm in a sling was an added source of frustration for the Finnish forward and the Blue Jackets.
Vincent didn’t have a prognosis on how long Laine might be out, but it appears to be a problem with his left shoulder and requires the sling. Neither thing is good and the even the best scenario may force Laine to miss multiple games.
It’s the seventh separate injury hurdle for Laine since the Blue Jackets acquired him and Jack Roslovic from the Winnipeg Jets in a January 2021 trade for Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Two years ago, he strained an oblique muscle and then his lower back. Last season, Laine injured an elbow, ankle and triceps muscle. This season, he missed nine games after being concussed on an illegal hit by Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson in a Blue Jackets victory at Nationwide Arena.
Now he’s dealing with this issue, which occurred after Laine was tripped by Maple Leafs defenseman William Lagesson at 6:46 of the second period. After tumbling awkwardly into the boards, Laine left the ice holding his left shoulder and didn’t return.
The trip didn’t look intentional, but Lagesson’s right leg swept Laine’s left leg out from under him in a motion that looked like a slew foot. The Jackets rallied to stand up for their teammate, led by Cole Sillinger, but that couldn’t undo whatever damage was done to Laine.
Stay tuned.
Columbus Blue Jackets veterans must improve to preserve leads
At the end of his postgame press conference, Vincent was asked if he felt it was fair to say his veterans must start leading the way to victory when protecting leads. He didn’t hesitate to answer.
“One hundred percent,” Vincent said. “That’s … 100%.”
This was the 19th game in which the Blue Jackets have lost at least one lead and they’ve only played 31. In those 19 games, they’ve blown 23 leads, including margins of 3-0 starting the third in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 5 at Nationwide Arena and 5-0 starting the third in Toronto.
It’s been “unacceptable” for a while, but signs of improving remain foggy. Meanwhile, the blown leads keep spoiling all the good things the Blue Jackets do. In Toronto, for example, they had six players finish with multiple points ― including Johnson (two goals, one assist), Justin Danforth (goal, assist) and Yegor Chinakhov (goal, assist) with both goals and assists.
The Blue Jackets still have one of the NHL’s youngest rosters, which can’t be overlooked, but a bigger issue is how the veterans keep folding in key situations. Without those flubs, the Jackets’ record would be a lot better and there’d be far less concern by fans who now expect them to lose leads and games.
“It’s a tough feeling to have,” Werenski said. “It was overtime, and we were so excited to get two points on the road against a good team, but it just felt different. We felt like we should’ve closed that one out in regulation, 5-1, maybe 5-2, but it is what is. We’ve just got to try and learn from it and move on from it, I guess.”
Third periods continue to be a nightmare.
The Blue Jackets have been outshot by a combined 384-294 margin and outscored 53-26 in third periods, which has become 20 minutes of hockey to be watched through the spaces between your fingers. Vincent continues to emphasize the “learning” aspect of it, but even his tenor is starting to weaken.
“I know what happened,” he said. “I was there too. There’s always one, two, three factors that lead to goals against, but we’re learning. We found a way to win the game. So, we came here to get two points. We got two points.”
Blown offside call contributes to Columbus Blue Jackets’ collapse
Vincent and the Blue Jackets’ bench were livid about an incorrect offside call against Sean Kuraly while the Maple Leafs trailed 5-2 during a power play late in the third. Kuraly was ruled to have entered the Toronto zone ahead of the puck after it was cleared down the ice, which brought the next faceoff back into the Columbus zone.
Former Blue Jackets forward Max Domi won that draw against Sillinger and McCabe scored seconds later to cut the margin to 5-3 with 5:39 left. Vincent couldn’t challenge the offside call against Kuraly because the play didn’t directly lead to a goal on that shift.
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“I know the referees, they see it live, but it’s 5-2 at that moment,” Vincent said. “They blew the whistle on Sean Kuraly. It wasn’t offside. From the video, it’s not offside. If we kill the penalty, we don’t have a faceoff in our zone (and) they don’t score.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kent Johnson saves Blue Jackets in overtime against Maple Leafs
