Snuggerud sparks Blues' rally as St. Louis overturns early deficit to beat Blue Jackets 5-3

A fast Columbus start did not last

For nearly 20 minutes, the game belonged to Columbus. Valeri Nichushkin opened the scoring at 16:10 of the first when he deflected home a setup from Sean Monahan and Erik Gudbranson, and Kent Johnson doubled the lead at 19:48 with a wrist shot created by Adam Fantilli and Zach Werenski. That late strike sent the Blue Jackets into intermission up 2-0 and gave them the cleaner opening chapter on the scoreboard.

The Blues, though, did not need a flood of chances to reset the night. They finished with a modest 26-23 edge in shots, lost the faceoff battle 56.9 per cent to 43.1, and still managed to turn the entire evening during the middle frame. The comeback started at 6:10 of the second period, when Jake Neighbours cut the deficit to one on a slap shot off feeds from Justin Barron and Dylan Holloway.

That goal changed the tone of the scoreboard in a hurry. At 9:02, Jimmy Snuggerud tied it with a deflection, with Holloway again involved and Philip Broberg adding the other assist. Then, only 3:30 later, Snuggerud struck again at 12:32, finishing a wrist shot from Robert Thomas and Holloway to put St. Louis ahead 3-2. In a span of 6:22, the Blues had turned a two-goal hole into a one-goal lead.

Snuggerud finished it, Holloway built it

Snuggerud was the finisher on the most important stretch of the night, but Holloway was the steady thread running through it. He picked up the secondary assist on Neighbours' goal, then factored directly into each Snuggerud strike to finish with three assists. That kind of line-driving contribution matters in a game that stayed tight all the way through and never offered much special-teams separation.

Neither side found anything on the power play, with both clubs going 0-for-1, so this was decided almost entirely at even strength. That made the Blues' second-period burst more valuable. Instead of waiting for a special-teams swing, St. Louis built its comeback through connected finishing in open play, and Jordan Binnington gave the rally enough support with 20 saves on 23 shots.

Columbus still had one more answer. Cole Sillinger tied the game 3-3 at 6:51 of the third, scoring on a wrist shot from Charlie Coyle and Carson Soucy. The level score lasted only 2:42. Jonatan Berggren restored the Blues' lead at 9:33, beating Greaves with a wrist shot after passes from Mason McTavish and Colton Parayko. That proved to be the decisive listed goal, and it capped a response every bit as timely as Columbus' early push had been dangerous.

Our take: the Blues recovered faster from each swing

The useful distinction in this game was not volume, but recovery. Columbus won more draws, blocked 19 shots and landed 17 hits, all figures that usually help a road team keep structure in place. But the Blue Jackets also finished with 22 giveaways, and the lead they built late in the first disappeared under the weight of three unanswered Blues goals in the second. When a team loses control of the puck that often, a strong faceoff night can only repair so much.

For St. Louis, the encouraging part is that the comeback was driven by identifiable contributors rather than one isolated bounce. Snuggerud supplied the finishing, Holloway piled up three assists, and Berggren delivered the eventual winner. The caution for the Blues is different: they were still chasing after one period, they lost the faceoff battle, and they blocked only eight shots. On another night, that combination can leave much less room for a second-period rescue.

One official wrinkle remains in the final margin. St. Louis was credited with five goals, but the listed scoring plays detail only four Blues goals, while Greaves was charged with four goals against in 58:03 of work. That points to an additional late St. Louis goal beyond the four itemized scorers, most likely after Columbus pulled its goaltender, though the scorer and time are not included here. Even with that gap, the heart of the result is clear enough: Columbus seized the first period, but St. Louis owned the decisive stretch and earned the comeback win.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 16:10

   Valeri Nichushkin Goal (1) Deflected, assists: Sean Monahan (1), Erik Gudbranson (1)

2. 1st · 19:48

   Kent Johnson Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Adam Fantilli (1), Zach Werenski (4)

3. 2nd · 6:10

   Jake Neighbours Goal (1) Slap Shot, assists: Justin Barron (1), Dylan Holloway (1)

4. 2nd · 9:02

   Jimmy Snuggerud Goal (2) Deflected, assists: Philip Broberg (3), Dylan Holloway (2)

5. 2nd · 12:32

   Jimmy Snuggerud Goal (3) Wrist Shot, assists: Robert Thomas (1), Dylan Holloway (3)

6. 3rd · 6:51

   Cole Sillinger Goal (2) Wrist Shot, assists: Charlie Coyle (4), Carson Soucy (1)

7. 3rd · 9:33

   Jonatan Berggren Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Mason McTavish (2), Colton Parayko (2)