The Blue Jackets need to find their offensive game. They need to be better on special teams, and they need to stop putting themselves into early holes, as well.
And they also might need a little luck of the Irish.
As the Blue Jackets head into tonight’s crucial St. Patrick’s Day contest vs. Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey, head coach Dean Evason can’t help but feel like his team could use a good break or two. In two straight games at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets have come out with plenty of energy, only to fall into early deficits on the way to shutout losses.
Thursday vs. Vegas, Columbus didn’t allow a shot attempt for the first 12 minutes, only to see the Golden Knights’ first one go in the net. In Saturday’s game against the Rangers, a misplay between defenseman Damon Severson and goalie Daniil Tarasov led to an open-net tally for New York less than two minutes into the game.
And if anything encapsulates how things are going right now for the Blue Jackets, it came in the middle of the second period against the Rangers. Forward Dmitri Voronkov was all alone on Igor Shesterkin, stickhandled around the New York goalie and saw his shot go off the far post and out.
Evason understands you make your own luck at times in this game, but it would also help if the Blue Jackets caught a break or two right now as they try to break a streak of five losses in the last six games.
“We have to find a way more than anything to just build the confidence back up and continually build toward (that), and then catch a break or catch a couple of breaks,” Evason said after Saturday’s loss. “Everybody’s talked about it before. Whenever teams are in a bit of a funk, you need something positive to happen. Which we’ll work (toward) – we’ve never not worked.
“It would be a different story if I came in here and said we got outworked tonight and that’s why we lost this game. We didn’t. We have to continue to work and believe there’s enough games left for us to get there.”
The loss to New York put the Blue Jackets on the wrong side of the playoff line for the first time since Feb. 24, and the reality is the season is far from over. Columbus has 16 games to play and is just two points behind the Rangers and one behind Montreal for the final Eastern Conference wild card spot, and they retain two games in hand on New York as well.
But Columbus has no time to waste and must find its game quickly, especially on the offensive end. The back-to-back shutouts vs. the Golden Knights and Rangers are the first for the Blue Jackets since December 2008, as well as the first time they’ve been blanked in Nationwide Arena in consecutive games since March 2011.
It’s the time of year where squads have to fight for every inch of ice and take advantage of the chances they get, and the Blue Jackets haven’t done so the past few games. Add in a power play that doesn’t have a goal in the last six games and lighting the lamp has been elusive of late.
“I think we are playing our way and try to do our best that we can, but we didn’t score,” Kirill Marchenko said after the Rangers game. “We have good opportunities and everybody have a lot of shots. I don’t think we need to think or talk about the last two games a lot. Just try to focus on the next game and be better.”
Know The Foe: New Jersey Devils
Head coach: Sheldon Keefe (1st season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.99 (14th) | Scoring defense: 2.59 (4th) | PP: 27.5 percent (4th) | PK: 82.6 percent (3rd)
The narrative: The last two years have shown just how precarious the building process can be for a young team. Led by Jack Hughes, the Devils drafted an impressive number of talented players during a stretch that included just one playoff appearance from 2013-22, and it all paid off two seasons ago when New Jersey won 52 games and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Last year, though, injuries and inconsistency doomed the Devils to a seventh-place finish in the Metro. This year, injuries – including season-ending shoulder surgery for Hughes – have reared their head again, but the Devils’ hot start still has the squad in a postseason spot.
Team leaders: The injury to Hughes is a huge blow for the Devils, as one of the top young stars in the league had a team-high 27 goals among his 70 points in 62 games before going down last Sunday in a game at Vegas. One of the most underrated players in the NHL is at it again, as Jesper Bratt is tied with Hughes for the team lead in scoring with 79 points, including 19 goals and 60 assists. Nico Hischier adds 28 goals among his 52 points, while Stefan Noesen (19 goals), Timo Meier (19) and Dawson Mercer (15) also could reach 20 goals.
The biggest improvement for the Devils has come in scoring defense, and a lot of the credit has to go to the new goalie tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. Markstrom has started 41 games and is 22-13-5 with a 2.45 GAA and .902 save percentage, while Allen has a 2.60 GAA and .910 save percentage despite an 11-13-1 record.
What's new: Hughes isn’t the only one out long-term, as the defensive corps took a huge hit with recent injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. New Jersey was 24-11-3 through Dec. 27 but hasn’t been able to find its game consistently for months now, going 12-15-3 in its last 30 contests to add some spice to the Metro race. The offense has been a key culprit, as the Devils have scored four or more goals in just six of the last 30. Bratt is almost single-handedly trying to change that, notching three points in three straight games (2-7-9).
Trending: The teams have split the previous two games this season, earning home wins in their own buildings. Columbus won the first game of the season series by a 4-2 score Dec. 19 at Nationwide Arena before New Jersey’s 5-3 win at The Rock on Tuesday.
Former CBJ: None
