PREVIEW: Blue Jackets ready for home opener vs. Tampa Bay
Columbus returns to play eight of next 10 at Nationwide Arena
There won't be quite the same pomp and circumstances as usual -- unfortunately, fans remain unable to attend games in Nationwide Arena because of the pandemic -- but the hope remains that home cooking will do the Blue Jackets well.
That's particularly true up front, where the team hopes to add some cannon blasts to an offense that scored just eight times in the first four games.
"We are going to find a way," center Alexandre Texier said after he tallied in a third straight game in Tuesday night's 3-2 overtime loss to Detroit. "We are going to try to score some goals. There is nothing crazy right now, just get focused on our next game and try to minimize the mistakes that we made this game."
The key word thus far has been "sloppy," which is how head coach John Tortorella described Tuesday's game, noting there were only a handful of scoring chances for each team. So far, the Blue Jackets have only been able to string together offensive chances in Saturday night's loss at Nashville, a 5-2 setback that featured plenty of scoring chances but just two that ended up in the back of the net.
Otherwise, passes have gone askew, rebound chances too few and far between, and forechecks that that haven't quite retrieved enough pucks to create extended zone time.
"I think we gotta work for it here, work for our chances, and I think everything comes off that," winger Boone Jenner said. "We have to get it going here. We just have to be better in a lot of areas of the game, I think."
But there's little time to focus on what goes wrong in this shortened 56-game season. It's all about regrouping, getting better and turning attention to the next task at hand.
"Get ready to play your next game," Tortorella said. "We don't have much time to practice. We just have to get ready to play our next game and try to find our way."
Know the Foe
Tampa Bay hasn't shown any signs of slowing down thus far from last year's Stanley Cup championship, as the Lightning -- which beat Columbus by a 4-1 margin to open the playoffs a year ago -- is off to a 2-0 start that included a season-opening sweep of Chicago (the team's games this week vs. Dallas were postponed because of the Stars' issues with COVID-19).
Even without 2019 Hart Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, who is out for at least the regular season because of hip surgery, the Lightning has had little struggles thus far, opening with a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks before a 5-2 triumph in the second game.
While the team did have to say goodbye this offseason to a number of players including forwards Cedric Paquette and Carter Verhaeghe as well as defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and Braydon Coburn, most of the key players for the team return, especially up front, where Tampa Bay led the league last year for the third season in a row with 3.47 goals per game.
Steven Stamkos (29-37-66 in 57 games before injury cost him the end of the regular season and most of the playoffs), Brayden Point (25-39-64 in 66 games), perennial Norris Trophy contender Victor Hedman (11-44-55 in 66 games) and Alex Killorn (26 goals in 68 games) all return to lead the attack.
Stamkos has picked up right where he left off with two goals and three assists in the first two games, while Ondrej Palat also has a pair of goals. Point, Killorn and Anthony Cirelli each have 1-2-3 lines thus far, while the team also has goals out of Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and Mathieu Joseph.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, the three-time Vezina finalist and 2019 winner, has started both games and has a 1.50 GAA and .950 save percentage having stopped 57 of 60 shots. Backup Curtis McElhinney is on the NHL's COVID-related absence list Wednesday, while Coleman was removed from the list.
3 Keys to the Game
Find some flow: The Jackets have just been too sloppy thus far, especially when it comes to creating offense, with passes often struggling to connect. At some point, the Blue Jackets just have to free themselves and just play.
Big names going: We've said this before in this space, but it bears repeating -- the biggest names for the Blue Jackets have to get going at some point. Having just two goals in four games from the combination of Pierre-Luc Dubois, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Cam Atkinson, Max Domi and Zach Werenski is handicapping the offense thus far.
Stay out of the box: This is always key against a Tampa Bay team that perennially seems to have one of the league's best power plays. The Jackets have committed just nine penalties in four games, so this is generally a strong suit.
Of Note
Defenseman Michael Del Zotto has three assists in the past three games, while Bjorkstrand has a 1-2-3 line in the past two games. … Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo has a .944 save percentage so far this year. … With two goals and an assist in the first four games, Boone Jenner has moved into sixth on the team's all-time points list with 226. … Atkinson is two goals from 200 in his CBJ and NHL careers. He would be the second Blue Jackets to reach the milestone after Rick Nash. … Seth Jones has 195 points in his Blue Jackets career, leaving him five away from the 200 mark. The defenseman also has 198 career assists. … Nick Foligno is three goals from 200 in his NHL career. … Because of the pandemic, the teams played just once in the regular season last year, a 2-1 overtime win for Tampa Bay on Feb. 10 in Nationwide Arena. ... The teams have met in the playoffs each of the past two seasons, with Columbus sweeping Tampa Bay in 2018-19. … Columbus is winless against the Lightning over the past three regular seasons, going 0-5-2, after going 3-0-0 against Tampa Bay during the 2016-17 season.
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change)
Liam Foudy - Alexandre Texier - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Mikhail Grigorenko - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Cam Atkinson
Boone Jenner - Max Domi - Nick Foligno
Eric Robinson - Riley Nash - Emil Bemstrom
Vladislav Gavrikov - Seth Jones
Zach Werenski - David Savard
Michael Del Zotto - Dean Kukan
Joonas Korpisalo (confirmed starter)
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratches:Kevin Stenlund, Gabriel Carlsson, Scott Harrington
Unavailable due to COVID protocol: Mikko Koivu
Injured reserve:Brandon Dubinsky, Gus Nyquist
Roster Report:The Blue Jackets continue to look for an offensive spark among the lines; the ones above were used during morning skate Thursday. Tortorella is confirmed Korpisalo will go in net and no other lineup changes are expected.
