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I-71 Report: The Traffic Continues

Feb 18, 2020

The traffic on I-71 was busy this month for the Cleveland Monsters and Columbus Blue Jackets, while both teams continue to adapt in the face of injuries through the midway point of the season. 

 

Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks made his National Hockey League debut on Jan. 19 against the New York Rangers after serving as backup for the Blue Jackets throughout parts of this season. Kivlenieks stopped 31 shots in Madison Square Garden to help lead the Blue Jackets to a 2-1 victory over the Rangers and earn his first NHL win.

 

Since his debut, Kivlenieks has started two other games, Feb. 1 and Feb. 13, both against the Buffalo Sabres. The Riga, Latvia, native currently holds a 1-0-2 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.30 goals-against average

 

In addition to Kivlenieks’ milestone outings, defenseman Andrew Peeke added one of his own when scoring his first NHL goal on Feb. 16 against the New Jersey Devils.

The rookie split time between the Monsters and Blue Jackets in February appearing in five games for the parent club averaging 14:13 time on ice per game with a +2 rating.

 

Forward Kevin Stenlund has also been a frequent traveler on I-71 since his first recall in December, spending time with both the Blue Jackets and Monsters. Stenlund added two goals and two assists in January and posted his first multi-point NHL performance on Jan. 11 against the Vegas Golden Knights (2A).

 

Stenlund returned to Cleveland on Jan. 18 and appeared in six games before returning to Columbus on Feb. 5. The forward scored his fifth goal with the Blue Jackets on Feb. 16 against the New Jersey Devils to tie the game helping Columbus earn a point in their shootout loss.

Monsters co-captain Nathan Gerbe continues spending time with the Blue Jackets following his recall in December. The forward earned a consistent spot in Columbus’ lineup and registered his fourth NHL goal of the season on Feb. 13 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Averaging over 10 minutes of time on ice per game, Gerbe has notched four goals and five assists in 24 games played since his recall.

 

The Monsters hit the road again this weekend heading to Syracuse for a Friday night matchup against the Crunch at 7:00 p.m.

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