The Columbus Blue Jackets will put their three-game winning streak on the line Wednesday night when they host the Montreal Canadiens.
Columbus comes in off a 5-4 shootout victory over Carolina on Saturday. It marked the first time since March 11-16, 2022, that the Blue Jackets put together three consecutive wins.
This year’s streak started with a 5-1 victory at Boston on Monday and then a wild 7-6 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Thursday. Zach Werenski, named the NHL’s No. 1 Star of the Week on Monday, scored in overtime vs. the Lightning to cap a five-point performance (two goals, three assists).
Two nights later, Kirill Marchenko scored a goal with 1:06 remaining in the third period and Columbus went on to pull out the shootout win over Carolina.
“I think we’re learning,” said center Sean Monahan, who scored the shootout winner. “Slowly, we’re finding ways to win games, coming back and getting one late and finishing it in the shootout. It’s a start, so that’s a good sign.”
“I think the last two games are prime examples of sticking with it and being together,” Columbus defenseman Dante Fabbro added. “We’re playing a fun brand of hockey right now. I think everyone is working for each other, and you can tell everyone wants to win games right now. It’s definitely a good feeling in the locker room.”
The winning streak began after the Blue Jackets held a team meeting following a 5-1 loss at Montreal on Nov. 16. Captain Nick Suzuki scored what proved to be the game-winner late in the second period, and the Canadiens pulled away with three goals in the third.
“Up to that point, we were playing well,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “We talked about playing winning hockey. Yeah, we had made mistakes, but we were competing and we were doing a lot of really good things. In that game, we didn’t. We didn’t seem like we were together. That’s what really bothered us, is there was no cohesiveness, there was no pushback, there was no stand-up for each other.”
Since that meeting, the Blue Jackets have bounced back to win three games against playoff teams from last season. Next up are the Canadiens, who have defeated Columbus six straight times.
Montreal will play the second half a back-to-back set that began with a 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev scored the winner 27 seconds into overtime for Utah, which finished with a 29-13 edge in shots on goal.
“I don’t think the shots were a true reflection of attempts or chances, but it was one of those nights for us,” Canadiens forward Alex Newhook said.
“Overtime is overtime,” forward Brendan Gallagher said. “It was a pretty even game. … We’ll take the good with the bad and hopefully respond with a win (Wednesday) night.”
The contest with the Blue Jackets marks the start of a three-game road trip for Montreal that also includes games with the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins. The Canadiens are just 2-6-1 on the road this season.
–Field Level Media
