Daniil Tarasov, top line push Columbus Blue Jackets past San Jose Sharks
The Blue Jackets have the fourth-worst record in the NHL. The San Jose Sharks have the third-worst.
Columbus entered Saturday night's game between the bottom-dwellers on a three-game losing streak after blowing another third-period lead Thursday against Ottawa. San Jose came in having lost its last five games.
Something had to give.
Well, the Sharks did more of the giving. In a game marked by numerous turnovers, the Jackets took advantage for a 4-2 victory in front of 16,967 at Nationwide Arena.
All three players on Columbus' top line – center Boone Jenner and wings Alex Nylander and Johnny Gaudreau – scored goals. Nylander had two, including an empty-netter with 1:05 left.
Daniil Tarasov had 39 saves in goal for Columbus, including some big ones with the game in the balance.
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"He was our best player, for sure," Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said.
The Jackets scored the game's first goal with less than 3 minutes left in the first period. Defenseman Damon Severson got the puck on a San Jose turnover and passed to Gaudreau, who skated the puck into the Sharks' zone and fed an open Jenner. The Jackets' captain backhanded the puck past goalie Magnus Chrona, the puck barely trickling over the goal line.
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It was Jenner's team-leading 21st goal.
The Jackets made it 2-0 only 49 seconds into the second period when defenseman Ivan Provorov made a nice stretch pass to Nylander. The right wing shot from the slot beat Chrona to the stick side. Nylander has eight goals in 11 games since his acquisition in a trade with Pittsburgh.
The Sharks got on the board midway through the period when Mario Ferraro threw a harmless-looking pass in front of the Columbus net and it was swatted by Fabian Zetterlund through Tarasov's pads.
The Jackets regained a two-goal lead three minutes later. Gaudreau caught a wide shot by Nylander on his stick and tapped it past Chrona.
This being the Jackets, no third-period lead is safe. The Sharks indeed made it 3-2 with 8:18 left. A loose puck went to Henry Thrun and he fired past Tarasov for the goal.
San Jose pushed in the final minutes. The Sharks had 48 straight seconds of zone time at one point, but Nylander's empty-netter clinched it.
Here are four takeaways from the Jackets' win:
This win wasn't pretty
In the course of an 82-game season, teams are going to win games they don't deserve to and lose ones in which they outplayed the opponent. This was closer to the former.
San Jose had 41 shots on goal to only 20 for Columbus.
“Let's put it this way,” Vincent said, “We've played much better than tonight and didn't win those games.”
The Jackets have made an art form out of blowing third-period leads and threatened to do it again. With 5 minutes left, San Jose had a shift in which they kept the puck in the Columbus zone for 48 seconds. The Sharks had a similar stretch after pulling their goalie. But they couldn't tie the game.
Tarasov shines
The biggest reason San Jose was unable to get over the hump was the play of Tarasov. He stopped 18 of 19 shots in the third period.
“I don't think tonight was our best night in front of him,” Gaudreau said. “I think he stood on his head and kept us in that game and ultimately won the game for us.”
Tarasov has found his groove after battling injuries the last two years.
“I love when he's in the net,” Gaudreau said. “He's such a good person, a good teammate. He's a really good goaltender, too. It's great to see him play like that.”
Tarasov is just happy to be healthy.
“It was kind of hard the last two years,” he said. “Now I feel really confident, really good. The last two seasons were a lot of ups and downs, and now I'm just trying to climb up.”
Nylander continues torrid streak
Nylander's eight goals are the most in Blue Jackets history for a player's first 11 games.
It helps that he's playing on the top line with Jenner and Gaudreau.
“Since I've played with them in Montreal (on Tuesday), I think we've had really good chemistry,” Nylander said. “We've been a lot in the (offensive) zone, and building off it every game. They're two unbelievable players, so you've got to be ready whenever you're on the ice. They can find you wherever. It's a great opportunity. I'm just really happy I can be on that line.”
Gaudreau has struggled to find on-ice chemistry with linemates at times. But he has clicked with Nylander.
“He sees the ice really well,” Gaudreau said. “He's very, very skilled, and he's got a great shot. When you have a player like that, you try to find the right players to put him with. I think we're doing a good job of playing well together and complementing each other. It's great to see him playing the way he's playing.”
Gaudreau finds the net
The Jackets' left wing scored his 11th goal of the season but is still on pace for a career-low in goals. He twice has had 18. He scored 40 in his final year with Calgary before signing as a free agent with Columbus.
He had only two goals in his previous 11 games.
“It feels to get one, obviously,” Gaudreau said of his goal after a Nylander shot. “Missing breakaways aren't ideal. Getting goals called back (on review) wasn't ideal. That little stretch at the start of the season wasn't my greatest. That's probably why I'm where I'm at today.”
Gaudreau's play-making skills haven't deserted him, though. He had two assists Saturday to give him a team-leading 39 for the season.
“His ability to read the play and create space for himself is huge,” Vincent said. “It's just above average by a mile.
“Early in the season, it wasn't going his way or our way, but now it's going better. He's moving his feet. When he moves his feet, he's good.”
At least Gaudreau was able to joke about his struggle scoring goals. When Nylander's eight-goal start was mentioned to him, Gaudreau smiled and said, “He's already almost caught me.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets hold off Sharks thanks to Tarasov, top line
