|
 The Jackets hung on for a 3-2 victory before 15,987 in Nationwide
Arena, but the sound of the final horn was mixed with a mighty
exhale.
"It would have been nice to step on their throats and end it," Blue
Jackets center Ryan Johansen said. "But they made a serious push. I
don't think we let off the pedal, they just didn't go away."
Right winger Jack Skille, Johansen and left winger Matt Calvert
scored for the Blue Jackets, who took a 3-0 lead in the second
period. Center Mark Letestu had two assists.
Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves in the win.
The Flames' third-period goals were scored by left winger Mason
Raymond and rookie right winger Josh Jooris, who was making his NHL
debut.
But the final two minutes were frantic.
"We had guys diving headfirst, guys playing without sticks," Blue
Jackets coach Todd Richards said. "We had guys blocking shots and
guys doing everything they could to clear the zone and get some time
off the clock."
Letestu said, "We were under seige."
Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano hit a post with 51 seconds left,
and Blue Jackets left winger Nick Foligno blocked a shot by Calgary
center Mikael Granlund with nine seconds to play.
"We knew it would be a pressure game because they pressure and we
pressure," Calgary coach Bob Hartley said. "We spotted them a couple
of goals early. After this, the tide changed.
"In the third period, we were pressuring and they were coughing up
the puck. We put on quite an effort."
The Flames surprised many by starting goaltender Karri Ramo instead
of Jonas Hiller, who had 49 saves in a 2-1 win in Chicago on
Wednesday.
Ramo allowed two goals on the first four shots he faced and finished
with 23 saves overall, suffering his first loss of the season.
The Blue Jackets improved to 17-5-4 all time against the Flames in
Nationwide Arena.
The Blue Jackets had a 2-0 lead only 5:21 into the game.
At 2:59, Letestu found Skille with a nifty pass off his backhand in
the low slot, and Skille ripped it into an open net, his second goal
of the season.
[to top of second column]
|
At 5:21, the Jackets scored a power-play goal after a similar
sequence on the opposite side of the ice. This time, Foligno made a
backhand pass to Johansen in the low slot for his third goal of the
season.
The Jackets pushed the lead to 3-0 at 7:55 of the second period.
A slick cross-zone pass from defenseman James Wisniewski set up
Letestu for a deflection that was stopped initially by Ramo. But
Calvert, shoved in the back by a Flames player, got his stick on the
puck and shoved it over the goal line.
The Flames pulled to 3-1 at 2:21 of the third period on Raymond's
goal.
The goal was scored just four seconds after a power play had ended,
and the Blue Jackets were still scrambling to get in position.
Flames left winger Curtis Glencross fed Raymond with a pass across
the goal mouth for an easy finish.
The Flames pulled to 8:17 when Jooris, called up from the minor
leagues on Thursday, scored on a breakaway goal behind Wisniewski.
NOTES: Flames rookie LW Johnny Gaudreau, aka 'Johnny Hockey,' was a
healthy scratch. The former Boston College star had no points and
just one shot on goal in the first five games. ... Blue Jackets
rookie RW Marko Dano did not play because of an undisclosed injury.
He's day to day. RW Corey Tropp replaced him in the lineup, making
his season debut. ... Blue Jackets G Curtis McElhinney is expected
to make his first start of the season on Saturday against Ottawa,
the Jackets' first back-to-back this season. ... Flames C Josh
Jooris made his NHL debut after being recalled from AHL Adirondack.
... The Flames placed RW David Jones (lower body) on injured
reserve.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
