In a game with a little bit of buildup, the Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild played a game I, and the few hundred in attendance, would deem “boo-nanas”.
First off the game started with some line changing as it was announced Keegan Kolesar would get his shot with the duo of TJ Tynan and Oliver Bjorkstrand but it would be Kerby Rychel playing with the high scoring pair. The Jackets opened the scoring with a scrambly sequence with TJ Tynan getting the credit for the goal. The assists are – well it depends on who you ask. In arena, it was Kerby and Sam Ruopp who made his tournament debut but on the stat site it’s Kerby and the beginning of a big night for Oliver Bjorkstrand.
1:28 later the Jackets struck again when Dante Salituro knocked one home from a scramble in front. Late in the period, the Wild responded when Ruopp blocked a shot and struggled his way to the bench and, in the confusion, Zack Mitchell scored to make it 2-1. Early in the second, the Jackets got in penalty trouble. First Nick Moutrey took a slashing penalty and then, 34 seconds later, the Jackets would be called for too many men and this wasn’t a “quick play the puck on a line change” this was a “five on five supposed to be five on four rush”. So 12 seconds into the power play, Grayson Downing of the Long Island Downings would score to tie the game on a five on three. The Wild again struck just under two minutes later with a laser from the slot (again on the power play) by Brady Brassart to give the Wild the lead.
Just under a minute later, off a faceoff, Hunter Warner made one of the biggest mistakes of his young life by taking on the Belarussian giant Oleg Yevenko and Oleg would unleash four huge rights into Warner’s face (it was one of those fights where you feel bad for the other guy). The Wild then got into some penalty trouble of their own by taking one and then, just after it ended, taking another.
During the second one a misplay by Joonas Korpisalo led to Brassart’s second of the game. 27 seconds after the shorty Michael Paliotta scored on a shot from the point to make it 4-3.
The 3rd would be the Oliver Bjorkstrand show as the Great Dane took over. First, with the Jackets going on the power play early in the third, Paul Bittner scored probably a common goal for him from the doorstep to tie it. 42 seconds later Daniel Zaar scored from another scramble in front to give the Jackets a 5-4 lead. Just under two minutes later Keegan Kolesar was left all by himself due to a line change and drove to the corner to find Oliver Bjorkstrand who sniped it to make it 6-4.
Midway through the third, with the Wild on the power play, Jack Walker fired a top corner shot to make it 6-5. Three minutes later Oliver scored another Oliver-like goal when he skated into the slot and just sniped it past the Wild goalie.
Captain TJ Tynan would finish off the scoring with an empty net goal from almost the same spot as Sonny Milano‘s empty net goal. Joonas Korpsialo had 25 saves in his second win of the tournament. Oliver Bjorkstrand wore the A that Michael Paliotta wore last night while TJ Tynan and Kerby Rychel would continue to wear their letters. The Jackets will practice tomorrow and play the winless New York Rangers Monday at 3:30.
Quickly, those of you who had Michael Paliotta in the first Jacket to check Mike Reilly pool you win.
LINES
Bjorkstrand (2-3-5-GWG)-Tynan (1-2-3)- Rychel (0-1-1)
Milano (0-1-1)-Moutrey (0-1-1)-Zaar (1-0-1)
Sherwood-Quenneville-Kolesar (0-1-1)
Bittner (1-0-1)-Salituro (1-0-1)-Anderson (0-1-1)
Heatherington-Paliotta (1-1-2)
Yevenko-Siebenaler
Ruopp (0-1-1-announced in arena with an assist)-Vainio
Korpisalo (W .833 5.00)
Clark
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