An impressive three wins on their four-game road trip quickly turned sour for the Columbus Blue Jackets when they hosted Anaheim Wednesday.
Anaheim scored three goals in three minutes during the first period, which proved to be the undoing of the Blue Jackets. Columbus was unable to recover from its lackluster performance in the first period, falling 4-3 in Doug MacLean’s first home game as interim head coach.
“It’s disappointing that we are working our tails off to get to where we want to be and to contend for a playoff spot,” said Blue Jackets right wing Grant Marshall. “We’ve got to come out jacked-up and excited in the first period. If we did like in the second and third periods, we would have won the game.”
The Blue Jackets had many chances to score in the third period, but were unable to convert. Several frantic shots were thrown at Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere, to no avail.
“Teams are ready to get points,” MacLean said. “There were two on the line tonight, and Anaheim came out like they were looking to get in the playoffs, and we came out not quite ready to jump and we got jumped all over.”
Ducks left wing Stanislav Chistov scored the first goal of the contest with assists from left wing Jason Krog and defenseman Pavel Trnka as Chistov went stick side to beat Columbus goalie Marc Denis. Two similar goals scored by left wing Alexei Smirnov and center Steve Rucchin passed Denis’ stick side only two minutes apart from each other.
“The first three goals were almost identical. They came in a flurry,” Denis said. “Actually, their entire attack came in a fury in the first period. They were on top of their game early, and that ended up costing us.”
The Blue Jackets came out in the second with a much-improved game plan, limiting Anaheim to five shots on goal compared with the 20 the Mighty Ducks had in the previous period. Columbus finally got on the board when Marshall fired a slap shot and the period’s only goal past Giguere.
Ducks right wing Rob Valicevic scored in the third when an errant pass from right wing Dan Blysma deflected off the goal. Valicevic wristed the puck high past Denis’ glove side.
Columbus quickly responded when center Andrew Cassels received a centering pass and scored an even strength goal 55 seconds later.
Blue Jackets rookie left wing Rick Nash tied up two Anaheim defenders behind Giguere, giving center Mike Sillinger the time to blast the game’s final score to the back of the net.
“I was proud that we came back and battled right to the end of the second and third periods and out-played them,” MacLean said. “But it’s all about two points and they weren’t there (Wednesday).”
The Blue Jackets were unable to improve upon one of the league’s best power-play percentages, going 0-for-8.
Columbus won only 35 percent of the faceoffs during the game. The Mighty Ducks’ ability to control the faceoffs helped deter any last-ditch efforts by the Blue Jackets to salvage their weak first period.
Wednesday’s game was Columbus’ fifth in eight days. The team will have two days rest before facing the Boston Bruins tomorrow at the FleetCenter.
