The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their sixth straight game on Monday night, falling 4-2 to the Florida Panthers. In some ways it was the ideal result: a good effort from the visitors, but in the end another regulation loss which puts the team closer to a high draft pick. There was the usual mix of positives and negatives:
Good: The Jackets came out buzzing, with all four lines controlling possession in the early minutes of the game.
Bad: Despite this, the Panthers drew first blood. It was an unlucky goal, with a pass from behind the net by Alex Wennberg deflecting off of Seth Jones’s stick to a wide-open Frank Vatrano:
Good: Elvis Merzlikins and the defense somehow managed to keep the puck out of the net during this sequence, which ended up with Elvis losing his stick and using Patrik Laine’s for the final minute.