COLUMBUS, Ohio — It might sting for a little while. He may end up as the answer to an unfortunate trivia question. But Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov will one day look back on Saturday’s loss to the New York Rangers with a smile. He might even chuckle.
Tarasov became the first goaltender in NHL history to record his first career shutout and suffer a loss in the same game, according to the league.
How is this possible? The Blue Jackets lost 1-0 in a shootout on Saturday in Madison Square Garden, with neither the Jackets nor the Rangers scoring in 60 minutes of regulation and five minutes of three-on-three overtime. The game was settled in a shootout, with New York’s Vincent Trocheck scoring the only goal.
But, since shootout goals don’t count as actual goals, the game was recorded as a shutout for both Tarasov (26 saves) and Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (27 saves) at the moment the buzzer sounded to signal the end of overtime.
“It’s really kind of a funny story,” Tarasov sheepishly told FanDuel Sports Network’s Dave Maetzold after the game. “I got my first win in Madison Square Garden. I think I just got my first shutout here, too.”
The Blue Jackets had their six-game winning streak snapped, but they can’t be too disappointed with a seven-game point streak (6-0-1) and a three-game point streak (2-0-1) on the road. Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko were denied by Shesterkin in the shootout.
“It was a great hockey game,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “It might not have been exciting as far as scoring goals, but the effort was there by both teams, the desperation was there by both teams … the patience … I really liked how we stayed within ourselves the entire game.
“We didn’t panic and open it up. We gave up some stuff, sure, but we got some stuff as well. It just comes down to a shootout. They find one, and we don’t.”
TARRY! 💪#CBJ pic.twitter.com/vdCGSwmBkf
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 19, 2025
Tarasov, in his second start since a trip to AHL Cleveland to get work, seemed to get stronger throughout the game. On the first shift of the third period, he jutted out his left pad to deny Rangers’ forward Will Cuylle, who was left all alone in front of the Jackets’ net.
Then, in overtime, Tarasov twice denied Rangers’ forward Mika Zibanejad on breakaways, including one with only 17 seconds remaining in the extra period.
“(Tarasov) made some great saves on the breakaways that we gave up, (which) we have to, obviously, look after a little bit,” Evason said. “He played a strong game, and I think everybody was committed in front of him as well.”
Evason has challenged the Blue Jackets in two main areas now that the season has moved past the midpoint and it looks like they may have a chance to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs after a four-year hiatus. (After Saturday’s win, they remain in the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.)
First, he wants them to commit to being better defensively, not just in a general sense, but in games when they may fall behind early. Evason wants them to stay the course and continue to play their system, not cheat the game to create more offensively.
Secondly, he wants them to be a more competitive road team. They were 4-12-3 away from Nationwide Arena before the recent uptick. Now, they’ve allowed four goals in their last three road games, winning in Pittsburgh (4-3 in a shootout), St. Louis (2-1) and now the “shutout shootout” vs. the Rangers.
Blue Jackets No. 1 goaltender Elvis Merzlikins has won four straight starts and six of his last seven decisions. Tarasov has now had two straight starts since his “reset” with AHL Cleveland.
It would be a major boost for the Blue Jackets if, for the first time all season, they’d have both Merzlikins and Tarasov playing well and setting into a rhythm of a rotation.
“It was a really solid team game,” Tarasov said. “The guys were amazing. They blocked a lot of shots. They covered the slot today. They didn’t give many chances to the Rangers. I think we deserved one point tonight.”
In NHL history, according to the league, only 21 goaltenders before Saturday’s game had earned their first career shutouts in games their club didn’t win. But, all 21 instances came in games that ended in ties, which the NHL eliminated (in favor of a shootout) after the 2004-05 season.
Tarasov, making his 57th NHL start, became the first to go a step further on Saturday.
(Photo: Danny Wild / Imagn Images)
