PREVIEW: Blue Jackets finish road swing in Pittsburgh

When a team is struggling the Blue Jackets – losers of eight of nine – at the moment, there’s usually a pair of culprits.

First, there’s the X’s and O’s of the game. The Blue Jackets have simply been giving up too many goals – 26 in the latest 0-4-1 stretch – which speaks to some areas of the game the team can clean up as it practices down the stretch.

Head coach Pascal Vincent saw some of those mistakes on Tuesday as the Blue Jackets fell 6-2 to Arizona. After a strong first period, the team struggled in the second and then came unglued down the stretch, giving up four goals in the final 10 minutes.

“We just have to stick to the plan,” Vincent said. “Puck management, defensive routes. Somehow, we have a good first period and early in the second was right, and then (we got) a little bit too risky with the puck and not intense enough without the puck.”

Then there’s the mental side of the game. With the team out of the playoff race coming down the stretch and nearly half the lineup put together in a patchwork fashion because of injuries, the Blue Jackets are fighting a mental battle to put together a full 60 minutes of late.

After things fell apart late in the game in Arizona, the frustration was clear for Zach Werenski.

“It sucks,” he said postgame. “It’s the same story, different game. That’s how it’s been for us lately. I don’t really have much to say. (The third period) sucked – simple as that. Wasn’t good enough, and it’s been that way for three games now. I just have no words for it.”

So how do the Jackets put things back together while entering a home-and-home with division rival Pittsburgh?

“Hard work,” Werenski said. “Put our heads down and keep working. No one is gonna help us. It’s the guys in here. It’s just not good enough right now.”

Know The Foe: Pittsburgh Penguins

Head coach: Mike Sullivan (Ninth season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.92 (23rd) | Scoring defense: 2.99 (14th) | PP: 14.4 percent (31st) | PK: 81.0 percent (12th)

The narrative: For the second season in a row, there won’t be playoff hockey in the Steel City. The addition of Erik Karlsson was supposed to rejuvenate a Pens squad that saw a 16-season playoff streak that brought three Stanley Cups to Pittsburgh, but new general manager Kyle Dubas’ squad sits nine points adrift from the last wild card spot going into tonight’s game. What happens next will be fascinating, as the Pens still want to make the most of the “big three” core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang

Team leaders: It’s no surprise who’s at the top of the scoring chart as the seemingly ageless Crosby has posted team-best totals of 35 goals and 76 points at age 36, both of which are in the top 20 in the league. Malkin’s 19-34-53 line follows, while Karlsson has racked up 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) in his first season in Pittsburgh. Bryan Rust’s 23 goals are second on the squad, while Letang has an 8-33-41 line from the blue line.

In net, Tristan Jarry has started 48 games and played in 50, posting a 19-24-5 record to go with a 2.90 GAA and .903 save percentage. The backup is Ohio native Alex Nedeljkovic, who is 11-6-5 with a 2.91 GAA and .906 save percentage.

What's new: The Pens were sellers at the trade deadline, sending third-leading scorer Jake Guentzel to Carolina for draft picks and prospects in an effort to boost what has been a lowly rated prospect pipeline. Michael Bunting has gotten off to a solid start since arriving in the deal (3-3-6 in 10 games), but the harsh reality for Pittsburgh is the team is just 4-9-2 in its last 15 games, though they are coming off a 4-1 win Tuesday over Guentzel and the Hurricanes.

Trending: By now, you probably know the stat – Columbus hasn’t won in Pittsburgh since a 2-1 victory Nov. 13, 2015, a losing streak of 14 games in the Steel City. That includes a 5-3 setback on March 5 in the first of three games between the division rivals this month.

Former CBJ: At age 39, the end is near for Jeff Carter, but the former CBJ center still has played in 61 games this year for the Pens with a 9-3-12 line. Emil Bemstrom was traded to Pittsburgh in February and has a 1-2-3 line in 16 games and was a healthy scratch in the team’s victory Tuesday.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)

Johnny Gaudreau – Boone Jenner – Dmitri Voronkov
Alexandre Texier – Cole Sillinger – Kirill Marchenko
Mikael Pyyhtia – Brendan Gaunce – Mathieu Olivier
James Malatesta – Tyler Angle – Carson Meyer
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Jake Bean – Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen – Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Elvis Merzlikins

Scratches: Adam Fantilli (calf laceration, out eight weeks as of Jan. 31), Justin Danforth (concussion, out indefinitely), Sean Kuraly (lower-body injury, week to week), Yegor Chinakhov (upper-body injury, day to day), Adam Boqvist (upper body), Alex Nylander (upper body, day to day)

Injured reserve: Kent Johnson (torn labrum in left shoulder, out for season)

Roster Report: Nylander skated today but will not go into the lineup, so the CBJ will use the same 18 skaters, but with Voronkov moving up to the top line. Tarasov gets the nod in net against the Penguins.

3 Stats to Know

• Daniil Tarasov has posted a .931 save percentage in his last 10 appearances, stopping 326 of 350 shots against and allowing just 24 goals. He has made at least 35 saves in five of those 10 games.
• Zach Werenski had a goal and an assist Tuesday, allowing him to reach the 40-assist mark for the first time in his career. He is the third CBJ defenseman to reach that mark following James Wisniewski (44, 2023-14) and Seth Jones (41, 2017-18). He ranks 11th among NHL blueliners in assists per game (0.67) this season and recently moved into second place in franchise history in helpers.
• Milestone watch: Johnny Gaudreau is five assists from 500 for his NHL career (242-495-737, 754 GP). ... Boone Jenner is eight goals from 200 for his NHL career (192-172-364, 714 GP).

Who’s Hot

Johnny Gaudreau has a 4-21-25 line in the last 25 games and has reached the 40-assist plateau for the second straight season. He has posted two 40-assist seasons in his two campaigns in Columbus, joining Ray Whitney, David Vyborny and Artemi Panarin as the only players with multiple such seasons with the Jackets. ... Alex Nylander’s eight goals since making his Blue Jackets debut Feb. 23 are a franchise record for a player in his first 15 games with the team. ... Boone Jenner has notched his fourth career 20-goal season, making him just the fourth CBJ player to have four such campaigns in team history. He joins Rick Nash (eight), Cam Atkinson (six) and R.J. Umberger (four). ... Dmitri Voronkov has 17 goals on the year, fourth among NHL first-year players and tied for third all-time in CBJ history among rookies (Rick Nash, 2002-03). His 31 points are also eighth among NHL rookies. ... The team’s rookie stat line of 30-37-67 is tied for first in the NHL in goals and fourth in points.

This Day in CBJ History

March 28, 2012: The Blue Jackets sign 2011 second-round pick Boone Jenner to an entry-level contract.

March 28, 2013: Cam Atkinson scores just 10 seconds into the Blue Jackets’ game at Edmonton, tying Rick Nash’s record for the fastest CBJ goal to start a game. Despite a three-point night from both Atkinson and Artem Anisimov, the Blue Jackets drop a critical 6-4 decision during their fight to get back in the Western Conference playoff race.

March 28, 2023: Kirill Marchenko ties Pierre-Luc Dubois’ CBJ rookie record with his 20th goal on the season in a 6-2 loss at the New York Rangers.