Roslovic, Merzlikins help Blue Jackets defeat Canucks, win third in row

COLUMBUS-- Elvis Merzlikins made 39 saves for the Columbus Blue Jackets in their third straight win, 4-2 against the Vancouver Canucks at Nationwide Arena on Friday.

Jack Roslovic scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period for the Blue Jackets (12-6-0), who have won five of six. He made it 3-2 at 6:06.
The Canucks had a 72-42 advantage in shot attempts.
"Some of these nights you're not even mad, you can just tell they don't have it," Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. "You are going to have games like that. What I said was, 'Let's just find a way to [win] this.'
"For the guys, I'm thrilled they found a way to win it. ... We will take the two (points) all day long. Not all are going to be Picasso's."

Thatcher Demko made 17 saves for the Canucks (6-13-2), who have lost three straight and are 2-8-1 in their past 11.
"It's hard. There's no way around it, but the only way is through," Vancouver forward Tyler Motte said. "No one's feeling sorry for us. No one's going to help us out.
"The guys in the room have got to figure it out. We have to find a way to be better and win hockey games. That's the bottom line."
Gustav Nyquist scored at 13:54 of the first period to give Columbus a 1-0 lead. His second shorthanded goal in 588 NHL games came after he intercepted a pass in his zone and fended off a poke check by Elias Pettersson before scoring stick-side.
Vasily Podkolzin tied it 1-1 at 19:31. Justin Dowling forced a turnover on a Blue Jackets exit and passed to Podkolzin in the right circle.
Vancouver had a 13-4 shots on goal advantage in the first period.
"Elvis gave us a chance to win," Nyquist said. "We didn't play up to our standards. It felt like we stole this one, to be honest."

The Canucks have scored three goals in their past three games and more than three goals in one of their past nine games.
"I thought it was one of our better games of the year," Vancouver coach Travis Green said. "We were on our game. Our details were sharp. I give them a lot of credit. They played a tough game and they're going to have to bounce back. It's tough to lose when you play well, especially when things are going the way they are."
Adam Boqvist put the Blue Jackets ahead 2-1 at 6:17 of the second period, scoring from a low angle on the right side on a rebound of a Cole Sillinger shot.
Motte made it 2-2 at 18:42. The former Blue Jackets forward scored his first of the season with a tip of a shot from the blue line by Quinn Hughes.
"You're not going to complain when you had the puck as much as we did," Green said.
The shot attempt were 47-16 and shots on goal 28-9 at that point.
"Some nights you see more quality than quantity and they don't go in, and other nights it's the reverse," Motte said. "But either way you've got to find a way to put the puck in the net."
Max Domi scored into an empty net with 1:35 left in the third period to make it 4-2.
"Right now, it doesn't matter if we played well or didn't play well, we lost," Canucks forward Conor Garland said.
Merzlikins was aided by 19 blocked shots, six by defenseman Jake Bean.
"I know the boys are there," Merzlikins said. "Even if they are going to be tired, they will still stop the shots for me. They will try their best."

Green said speculation about his job security is not a distraction.
"I'm not worried about that stuff," he said. "I'm just worried about preparing our team, teaching our team."
NOTES: Hughes has eight assists in his past 10 games, 13 this season, and 99 in 149 NHL games. ... With an assist on Roslovic's goal, Vladislav Gavrikov has scored four points (one goal, three assists) in a three-game point streak. ... Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov had a goal overturned 52 seconds into the first period after a video review of a coach's challenge ruled he was offside. ... Motte played 31 games for Columbus in 2017-18 before he was traded to Vancouver during that season.