No lead is safe for the Blue Jackets, no matter how big or when they have it.
It’s the recurring theme of this season and it roasted them again Jan. 9 in a 5-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. After racing out a 2-0 lead on goals by Boone Jenner and Kent Johnson in the game’s first 10:41, the Blue Jackets (18-18-7) allowed four unanswered goals and lost their third straight game.
They’ve dropped the first two games of a four-game road trip that started with a 5-2 loss Jan. 7 at the San Jose Sharks and face a daunting matchup to start a back-to-back Jan. 11 at the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the Central Division with 71 points and improved to 18-0-2 on home ice with an 8-2 rout of the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 9 at Ball Arena.
A trip to Salt Lake City, Utah to wrap up this trip follows Jan. 12 against the Utah Mammoth, who are one point out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Reilly Smith scored two goals to lead the Golden Knights (19-11-12), who lost starting goalie Carter Hart to an apparent leg injury prior to Jenner’s goal at 8:24 of the first period. Akira Schmid played the remainder of the game and stopped 20 of 22 shots he faced for the win.
Zach Werenski pushed his point streak to nine straight games with an assist on Jenner’s goal and Jet Greaves allowed five goals on 26 shots in his eighth straight start.
Mark Stone led Vegas with three points on a goal and two assists, star center Jack Eichel added a goal and assist, and Mitch Marner finished with two assists on Smith’s goals.
Kirill Marchenko scored with 5:32 left in the third to cut the Vegas lead to 4-3, but the Golden Knights responded by doing something the Blue Jackets have struggled with all season. They made it stand up for a regulation win after Brett Howden scored with 3:46 left to quickly re-establish a two-goal cushion.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets drop third straight after blowing early lead in Las Vegas
Reporting by Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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