Elvis Merzļikins | Foto: Toronto “Maple Leafs”
In the National Hockey League (NHL) tonight, Elvis Merzlikkin’s Columbus Blue Jackets hosted Rudolf Balcer’s San Jose Sharks at home, but the Latvian duel missed this time because Balcers did not play due to injury. After scoring three goals in the final third, Columbus won 6-2 in the final and ended a series of four losses.
Merzlikin returned to the Blue Jackets after a break of two games and played their first match on December 1st. Unfortunately, Elvis’ return to the ice was not very successful – the Latvian goalkeeper blocked only 30 of the 34 (88.2%) shots taken by the opponents. Despite four goals scored, Merzlikins was able to help the team win and celebrated its tenth success in 14 games this season. In one of the episodes, Elvis also used force.
he just…sat on him pic.twitter.com/xLkKEEJtvw
— Daily Goalie (@dailygoalie) December 6, 2021
Although two clubs represented by hockey players of the Latvian national team met tonight, unfortunately the Latvian duel was missed on the court this time, because Balcers, who was injured in the lower part of the body, was not announced for the match in the Sharks ranks. The Latvian national team striker missed his first game this season. Balcers have scored ten (2 + 8) points in 24 matches in the San Jose club this season.
Sharks dominated and thoroughly scored Merzlikkin’s goal in the first third (the visitors scored 19 shots on the Latvian goalkeeper’s defended fortress, while Columbus responded with only ten shots), but in the 17th minute the Swedish defender Adam Bokvist raised the lead to the Blue Jackets (1: 0). ). The joy of the home team was not long, because 2.3 seconds before the end of the first period, Nick Bonino beat Merzlikin and reached the level of 1: 1.
Goal scored with 2.3 seconds left? It’s a Bones day ????@NickBonino | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/BKFq5ZrUhc
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 5, 2021
At the start of the second third, the two teams exchanged goals. First, the Swedish defender Eriks Carlson saddled Merzlikin in the 21st second of the period, forcing the Latvian goalkeeper to capitulate for the second time in 24 seconds, and put the guests in the lead for the first time (2: 1), but after a little over half a minute Sean Curley restored the balance to 2: 2 . Although Brett Burns stood out for the second time in the season in the middle of the season and regained the lead in San Jose (3: 2), 18-year-old Koh Sillinger again tied for 3: 3 in the 38th minute.
Columbus did not stop there. The owners of the court, taking the initiative in the last third, scored three goals and secured the victory. Thanks to Jack Roslovic’s accurate shot and Bokquist’s second goal in the game, the Blue Jackets scored two picks in the 46th minute – 5: 3. In the middle of the third period, the Czech Thomas Hertz reduced the difference to a minimum and gave the Sharks hope (4: 5), but 67 seconds before the end of the regular time, the Frenchman Alexander Texier sent the puck to the opponent’s empty fortress and reached 6: 4.
Thus, Columbus broke the four-loss series tonight and celebrated his first success since November 27, when he played the Vancouver Canucks 4: 2. San Jose, on the other hand, suffered a second loss after breaking a series of three wins. With 26 points won in 23 games, the Blue Jackets rank ninth in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Sharks are in eighth position in the Western Conference with 27 points in 25 matches.
Both clubs represented by Latvians will play the next games in two days – on December 8. Columbus will host one of Toronto’s Maple Leafs, leaders of the Eastern Conference, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, at 5:30 in San Jose, he will meet at home with the Vice President of the Western Conference Calgary “Flames”.
–
