Laine scores in OT, Sillinger nets first in Blue Jackets' win over New York Islanders
Bjorkstrand's three assists, Merzlikins' 34 saves also helped Columbus rebound from loss Tuesday in Detroit.
Brian Hedger
It’s only four games into an 82-game schedule, but the Blue Jackets are 3-1-0 and off to a strong start.
It took overtime again, not to mention another OT goal by Patrik Laine, but Columbus edged the New York Islanders 3-2 on Thursday to stay a perfect 3-0-0 at Nationwide Arena.
Laine scored 1:49 into OT and Columbus got regulation goals from Boone Jenner and rookie Cole Sillinger — whose tally was his first in the NHL and put the Jackets up 2-1 late in the second period.
“I think it just gives us confidence,” Laine said of the Jackets’ fast start, which he’s helped with two OT goals. “(The Islanders) have a really good team out there. They’re always in the conversation for the Stanley Cup, so it’s not an everyday thing where you just beat up that kind of team. It definitely feels good, but just try to build some confidence and go from here. It would be more fun to be 4-0, but we’ll take 3-1.”
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The loss was an ugly 4-1 defeat Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings, who controlled the puck most of the game. They outskated the Blue Jackets in all three zones and would’ve won in a rout had it not been for goalie Joonas Korpisalo allowing just two goals on 43 shots.
Elvis Merzlikins started against New York and matched Korpisalo’s excellence with 34 saves on 36 shots – including two in overtime. Merzlikins improved to 3-0-0 with wins on home ice against the Arizona Coyotes, Seattle Kraken and the Islanders.
Scott Mayfield and Mathew Barzal scored the goals for the Islanders (1-2-1), who got 29 saves from goalie Ilya Sorokin.
“It was better,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “We played on our toes. It was a little bit of a fire drill sometimes for us, but we battled through. I thought Elvis was good again for us tonight, but the response was good. We played better.”
Manny Legace’s advice pays off against Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin
If there’s one thing goalies know about each other, it’s vulnerable spots. So, the Blue Jackets listened when goaltending coach Manny Legace suggested they aim just underneath Sorokin’s blocker.
Laine and Sillinger each scored their goals with shots to that location and Jenner’s deflection on a power play sent the puck over the goalie’s shoulder on the blocker side to tie it 1-1 with 2:00 left in the second.
Laine’s shot, which he took from the right faceoff circle before falling to the ice, zipped under the blocker and over Sorokin’s right leg pad. It ripped into the net on the far side to end the game.
“I got past the (Islanders defender) and just tried to shoot it, and our goalie coach told me to go low blocker – so that’s where I went and it went in,” said Laine, who scored on the short side from that spot in OT against Seattle. “I had it in my mind before I even got the puck. I knew where I was going to go with it, so I didn’t even have to look at the net. … I feel like that was his weakness, like he told me, and it seemed to be working.”
Elvis Merzlikins was outstanding in Blue Jackets’ net
Another positive for the Blue Jackets through the first four games is that both of their goalies look sharp.
Korpisalo was on top of his game against the Red Wings. Merzlikins was just as good against the Islanders. Mayfield’s goal was a bit of a fluke, skipping off teammate Sean Kuraly’s skate, and Barzal beat him with a wrist shot under the bar to tie it 2-2 in the third.
Otherwise, Merzlikins was perfect.
He had a number of big stops in key moments, including one against a slapper by Anders Lee in the third that kept it 2-2 and helped force OT.
Cole Sillinger impresses for Blue Jackets in response to tough game
Sillinger did enough in junior hockey to get himself drafted 12th overall. His skills and maturity earned him a spot in the Jackets’ lineup at the age of 18 and his resilience after sitting all but three seconds of the third period in Detroit earned Larsen’s admiration.
The rookie scored his first NHL goal, led the team with six shots and even matched up against Barzal, the Islander’s top center, at the end of regulation.
“He took it head on,” Larsen said. “He’s still got a lot to learn, but I loved his game. I just love the response, how he played. He was assertive. He wasn’t scared. He didn’t play scared one bit tonight.”
Sillinger’s effort was the opposite of playing scared.
“He attacked the game as an 18-year old kid,” Larsen said. “That’s a team that’s trying to win the Stanley Cup. They’re built for that. They’re an older team with a lot of depth (and) some big, heavy bodies. He stood right in there and you love to see him get rewarded, because he had some chances tonight. He’s going to score a lot of goals in this league. Let’s put it that way.”
Cole Sillinger’s first NHL goal a relief
Cole Sillinger hadn’t scored a goal since the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament in September. He didn’t net any in the preseason, nor in the Jackets’ first three games, so his reaction after putting the Jackets up 2-1 late in the second was understandable.
After snapping a shot past Sorokin off a pass from Vladislav Gavrikov, the 18-year old dropped to one knee, pumped his first and skated over to the far corner to pound the glass.
“As soon as it went in, I just kind of blacked out and I don’t remember much,” Sillinger said. “I did not have any celebrations in mind. It was just an ‘in the moment’ thing. I couldn’t even tell you what I did for myself, to be honest.”
The goal was scored with impressive execution on the pass and shot. Gavrikov threaded the pass with a backhand past two Islanders, from below the goal line, and Sillinger didn’t miss.
Jakub Voracek and Zach Werenski flip spots, ignite Blue Jackets’ goal
The Islanders killed off the Jackets’ first three power plays, including one early in the second with the game 0-0. It was mostly Sorokin’s play in net, as both of the Blue Jackets’ power-play groups created good scoring chances.
The top unit also had two of its main perimeter weapons, Jakub Voracek and Zach Werenski, flip-flop on the fly to make things less predictable. Voracek drifted out to quarterback the action at the top of the 1-3-1 formation and Werenski slid to the right circle where Voracek usually camps out.
It paid off when Voracek got the puck from Werenski and launched a long wrist shot down the slot that was deflected by both Bjorkstrand and Jenner before eluding Sorokin to knot it 1-1 with 2:00 left in the second period.
“It happened on the fly,” Voracek said. “Sometimes it happens on the break-in, that it’s going to end up like that, and I find it’s better if the guys just stay in those positions instead of switching – because we create some confusion. We started switching and I played that (spot) in juniors. I know how to play it.”
New York Islanders’ forecheck gives Blue Jackets trouble
The Islanders’ forecheck differed from the Red Wings’ stifling attack because they’re bigger and more experienced. The Blue Jackets had a good start to the game, but New York began dominating possession in the second and controlled the puck for most of that period.
It led to the game’s first goal too.
Mayfield intercepted one of the Jackets’ failed exit attempts by getting to a puck sent around the boards and took it immediately to the low slot for a scoring chance. His shot skipped off Kuraly’s skate and beat Merzlikins between the pads.
In the third, Barzal tied it 2-2 after another long shift in the Columbus zone.
“You know you’re going to spend some time in your zone against them,” Larsen said. “They’re a real heavy team and they’ve got some big bodies down low. They just play an old school game.”
Blue Jackets strong killing penalties
The rule of thumb to succeeding while shorthanded is that goalies must be your best penalty-killer. Merzlikins lived up to that standard, stopping all five shots the Islanders put on net during three power plays, but the Jackets’ 3 for 3 performance on the penalty-kill wasn’t entirely their goalie’s doing.
Columbus started the game seventh in the NHL in penalty-killing at 88.9% and pushed that number to 91.7%, aggressively challenging shooters and putting bodies into shooting and passing lanes. The Blue Jackets must remain stellar on both special teams if they want to stay competitive while working out kinks even-strength play.
Blue Jackets’ three stars
First
Cole Sillinger, center
The rookie center got his first NHL goal and it was a big one. He put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 late in the second period and responded strong to sitting out almost a full period Tuesday in Detroit.
Second
Patrik Laine, left wing
All he does is score overtime goals, wear cool supervillain shades and pose threats to score every time he gets the puck in the offensive zone. The Blue Jackets will take his winners without complaint.
Third
Oliver Bjorkstrand, right wing
Bjorkstrand piled up another three-point game, all on assists, and barely anybody noticed afterward. He now leads the team in scoring with two goals, five assists and seven points in four games – assisting on all three goals in this game.
bhedger@dispatch.com
@BrianHedger