Of all the improvements in the Blue Jackets’ game this season that have allowed the team to get off to a solid start, the most noticeable might be the way Columbus has exited the defensive zone this season.
Whereas getting the puck across the blue line and out of trouble was a sore spot the past few years, so far this year the Blue Jackets have been able to get the puck out and then use their transition game to create offense.
But that was lacking in last night’s 6-2 setback against Winnipeg. The NHL-leading Jets forechecked the Blue Jackets to death, making it hard on the team to even exit the defensive zone. Not only did that lead to goals for the Jets, it stifled the CBJ attack; if you can’t get out of the defensive zone, you can’t get through the neutral zone with speed, and offense becomes that much harder to come by.
“We knew that coming in, that we were going to have to get pucks out, get pucks in,” defenseman Zach Werenski said after. “It was going to be kind of a slower game. They played exactly how they wanted; I don’t think we played how we wanted to. You’re not going to win many games when you don’t play your game in this league, and obviously against a good team like that, it can get pretty ugly.”
That it did on both the scoreboard and in the shot count, as Winnipeg had heavy advantages against the Blue Jackets in both shots on goal (44-22) and shot attempts (72-45). To head coach Dean Evason, it was a combination of the Jets playing their game and the Blue Jackets not doing enough to trouble the visitors.
“That team put heat on us to make the mistakes,” Evason said. “If we didn’t put pucks on our backhand and make some passes through the middle of the ice and make smart plays and weren’t firm in our zone, then that allowed them to get more touches in the offensive zone and gain confidence that they already got.
“If we were playing the way that we are capable of playing, getting pucks behind them and getting after them, and getting our forecheck going – we never had a forecheck all night. There was no pressure, no sustained heat for us in all three zones, but especially the offensive zone. They exited very well, and we did not.”
Afterward, Evason spoke of a need for the Blue Jackets to play a more intelligent game, and Werenski noted the team largely gift-wrapped a win to the hottest team in the league. The good news is that there’s not much time to sulk with the Capitals calling tonight.
“We already talked in the room that we’re excited about getting right back at it,” Evason said. “Pick your heads up, and we have a 5 o’clock game. A bite to eat, a quick rest and away we go. If we correct the mistakes in this hockey game and they don’t happen tomorrow night, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.”
Know The Foe: Washington Capitals
Head coach: Spencer Carbery (Second season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 4.11 (3rd) | Scoring defense: 3.00 (9th) | PP: 9.4 percent (30th) | PK: 81.8 percent (10th)
The narrative: Washington hasn't won a playoff series since capturing the 2018 Stanley Cup – hey, nothing wrong with that; flags fly forever – but they have made the postseason five of the six seasons since winning it all. The team addressed some needs on an aging roster this offseason, but while Alexander Ovechkin is without longtime running mates Niklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie because of injury, he still has the ability to score and has pulled within 36 tallies of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
Team leaders: Dylan Strome has found a home in Washington and leads the way this season with three goals among his 13 assists, while Ovechkin and Connor McMichael are next with matching 5-5-10 lines. Aliaksei Protas has become a dependable part of the attack with three goals and nine points, while John Carlson leads the back end with a 2-6-8 line and a plus-11 rating, tied for second in the NHL. Then there’s the team leader in goals, as Tom Wilson has six after posting a hat trick Thursday.
Charlie Lindgren and new acquisition Logan Thompson have split the starts in net. Lindgren is 3-2-0 with a 2.62 GAA and .883 save percentage, while Thompson has won all four starts with a 3.21 GAA and .876 save percentage.
What's new: The Caps were one of the busiest teams in the NHL this offseason, bringing in Thompson along with forwards Pierre-Luc Dubois, Andrew Mangiapane, Taylor Raddysh and Brandon Duhaime to remake the scoring group. Add in Jacob Chychrun in the back end (though he missed the last game with an upper body injury) and there’s very much a new look to the Caps, and it’s worked so far with the team tied atop the Metro Division and Eastern Conference with Carolina in terms of point percentage.
Trending: Columbus lost all three contests to their division rival last year, dropped 2-1 and 4-3 finals in D.C. before an OT loss at home in December. The Blue Jackets are just 2-7-2 in the series over the last three years.
Former CBJ: The Jackets’ first-round pick in the 2016 draft at No. 3 overall, Dubois was traded from Los Angeles to Washington this offseason and has 1-4-5 in his nine games. The team’s first-round pick in 2014, Sonny Milano, also has landed in Washington but has been a healthy scratch in eight of nine games.
