The Blue Jackets earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.
Columbus won 3-1, but expected goals said Los Angeles should have come closer—the Kings generated 3.34 xG to the Jackets' 2.83, yet the scoreboard ran against them by two. J. Greaves made that difference, posting 23 saves with a 0.958 save percentage. He stopped 1.83 goals above expected, converting marginal situations into saves that mattered.
A. Forsberg (LAK) made 27 saves at a 0.900 clip but couldn't overcome the same margin of error. The Kings underperformed their xG by 1.8—a brutal deficit when you're already down in the score.
Columbus's efficiency was the second factor. The Jackets scored twice from low-danger areas, the sort of chances Forsberg needs to have. They crashed the net hard, creating six rebound opportunities and translating that aggression into three power-play goals on 18 shots. The power play produced 1.34 xG; they scored three. That's conversion at its finest.
Kirill Marchenko's snap shot from the circles at 14:16 of the third period gave Columbus breathing room, a shot that epitomized their clinical approach. By then, the game was already set.
D. Severson (2A, 19:06) ran the offense from the blue line. M. Marchment supplied two goals in 16:01, the sort of forward production that ends close games. D. Mateychuk played 28:35, a quiet 1A that reflected the back-line confidence required when one goaltender plays this well.
Greaves stole this one.
Three Stars
- #78 D. Severson (CBJ) — 2A in 19:06
- #17 M. Marchment (CBJ) — 2G in 16:01
- #5 D. Mateychuk (CBJ) — 1A in 28:35
