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Post Battle #45 vs. the Carolina Hurricanes

January 22, 2017, 12:42 PM ET [2 Comments]
Paul Berthelot
Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Final Score: Blue Jackets 3 – Hurricanes 2

Game Summary


The Jackets completed this three game series with the Hurricanes by winning the rubber match 3-2. The Jackets stared out well staying right with Carolina in the first. Carolina is a really strong possession team but has been hurt by sub-par goaltending. The Jackets took advantage of that scoring twice in the opening frame. The Canes locked it down in the second allowing just two shots and tied the game up at two. The Jackets continued to struggle in the third, getting outshot 15-6 but they managed to score the only goal of the period to get the win.

Markus Hannikainen who was filling in for Matt Calvert, who was a healthy scratch, got the first goal of the game.




Hannikainen has been on a yo-yo this season going up and down between Cleveland and Columbus. He is currently on his seventh recall and played in just his 10th game. That goal was his first of the season and first career. I was impressed with the play Josh Anderson makes, the puck squirts out of the crease and rather than send the puck back to the point, he alertly throws it back to the front of the net, where Hannikainen whacks it in.

The second goal was scored by Scott Hartnell who unleashes a rocket of a slapper.




Hartnell just blasts this right by Michael Leighton for his 12th of the season. Picking up the assists on this goal were Dalton Prout and Scott Harrington. For both players it was their first point of the season. These two have been infrequently used but were in the line-up due to injures to Markus Nutivaara and David Savard.

Neither Prout nor Hartnell were done there. Hartnell scored the game winning goal in the third, with Prout picking up his second assist of the game. But let’s be honest here this goal was all Sam Gagner.




Gagner is lauded for his work on the power play and his goal scoring this season, but it’s been lost a bit just how good of a playmaker he is. Plays like this don’t have that often for him but every once in a while he makes a rush like that to make everyone remember why he was a top pick and top prospect for so long.

Stat of the Night



Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Hockey-Reference.

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