For the Blue Jackets players and coaching staff, right now is a test of mentality as much as anything else.
Columbus enters tonight’s home game vs. Pittsburgh on a six-game losing streak, a 0-5-1 run that came on the heels of an exciting 5-3-1 start.
Making things even more disappointing is the fact the Blue Jackets haven’t exactly played bad hockey during the losing skid. It’s not like they’ve been skated off the ice by opposing teams, outshooting teams 214-179 during the streak and actually leading the NHL with 3.47 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 during that span.
Those numbers are all well and good, showing the Blue Jackets have had the puck a lot and are generating chances. But the results – including just 11 goals in that six-game span – haven’t come, and head coach Dean Evason knows that’s what matters most.
“The frustrating part on the whole is that we’re playing extremely well in a lot of areas, we’re outplaying teams in a lot of areas, and we’re not getting the results,” Evason said. “That’s a positive end of it, but we’re a results league. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at, and we don’t want to get into a position where we’re accepting losing. So hopefully we can turn it around (tonight).”
Of the losses, Tuesday night’s 4-2 setback at Seattle might be the most frustrating of the group. Columbus dominated the Kraken for the first 20 minutes, taking a 2-0 lead into the locker room after the first period, but then lost its game and gave up four goals to Seattle in the second.
As Evason watched the film, he saw a team that went from playing its aggressive, structured game – what he calls “winning hockey” – to getting out of position, turning pucks over and allowing the Kraken too many odd-man rushes.
“You try to cheat the game a little bit to have success, to get out of it, to score a goal,” Evason said. “You can’t do that. If you do that, it eventually just compounds it even more. The mistake happens, and then you can’t recover from it, then the next one happens and it ends up in our net.”
To veteran Sean Kuraly, the answer is playing with patience and sticking to the game plan in the crucial moments of the game.
“We’re going to have to learn how to manage the momentum, you know, live to fight another day sometimes,” Kuraly said. “In this league, you have to defend really well to win games. Outscoring some of your problems is not the way to do it.”
Know The Foe: Pittsburgh Penguins
Head coach: Mike Sullivan (10th season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.72 (22nd) | Scoring defense: 3.83 (31st) | PP: 18.4 percent (20th) | PK: 82.4 percent (11th)
The narrative: It doesn’t feel that long ago that Pittsburgh was back-to-back Stanley Cup champs in 2016 and ‘17, but the reality is on the ice, those days in the rearview mirror. The Penguins have failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs each of the past two seasons and have struggled to begin this season, with a points percentage of .417 that is 14th in the Eastern Conference. Even with second-year GM Kyle Dubas in charge, the era of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang is closer to the end than the beginning.
Team leaders: The irony is that while the Pens' team success has dropped off in recent years, it’s really through no fault of Crosby or Malkin. Even at age 38, Malkin leads the Penguins in scoring with a 5-13-18 line, while the 37-year-old Crosby is right behind with six goals and 16 points. Things drop off from there, though, as Rickard Rakell (6-5-11) and Erik Karlsson (2-8-10) are the only two other players in double digits in points.
Pittsburgh has used three goalies this season, led by Ohio native Alex Nedeljkovic’s nine games, but it seems likely Tristan Jarry gets his fourth start of the season vs. Columbus. The former All-Star is 1-1-0 with a 5.47 GAA and .836 save percentage.
What's new: After the past two seasons without playoff hockey, the Pens did some retooling, bringing in veteran forwards Kevin Hayes, Anthony Beauviller and Blake Lizotte as well as defenseman Matt Grzylcek. Young goalie Joel Blomqvist has also earned a major role, but the Penguins haven’t really gotten going, dropping six straight at one point and entering this one with four losses in the last five games. Crosby continues to chase history, though, entering this game with 598 career goals.
Trending: Pittsburgh won three of four matchups a year ago, with the lone CBJ win coming in a shootout March 30 in Nationwide Arena. In all, Pittsburgh has been the Jackets’ most frustrating foe, as Columbus is just 4-14-5 in the series since 2017-18.
Former CBJ: None
