After a hangover loss in Tampa on Tuesday, could the Columbus Blue Jackets rebound against the defending Stanley Cup champs?
First Period
I’m no expert, but I feel like if you want to beat said champs, giving them three power plays in the first eight minutes of the game is NOT the way to do that.
The first came after Niko Mikkola hit Kent Johnson high. There was no call, but James van Riemsdyk took exception and dropped the gloves. Mikkola turned his back and didn’t engage, so JVR took the only penalty, for roughing. Luckily the penalty was killed.
Four minutes later, Evan Rodrigues had a breakaway attempt and Denton Mateychuk tripped him to break it up. The first PK unit got a good clear, but the second unit gave up the go-ahead goal to Florida’s top power play unit. The red-hot Sam Reinhart got a shot off inside the slot past Damon Severson.
Dean Evason challenged the goal, arguing that earlier in the play, the puck had bounced off the netting behind the goal, and the play should have been stopped. On replay, you could see that the puck bounced awkwardly, but it was difficult to tell whether it hit the netting or the top of the glass. Therefore the call on the ice stood.
The downside is this put the exhausted CBJ PK on the ice for another kill, but I don’t mind Evason taking this risk. First, his video coaches have a pretty good track record. Second, it gave him a chance to keep the game at 0-0. Finally, a victory in the review could have swung momentum. Fortunately the Jackets killed this penalty. By the end of it, Florida led the shot count, 9-1.
The Jackets got their own chance at a power play in the middle of the period, after Jonah Gadjovich started a fight with Joseph LaBate. That earned Gadjovich an extra two minutes for roughing. Unfortunately the first PP unit struggled to get set up in the offensive zone. The second unit (now featuring Yegor Chinakhov!) got some better looks, but Florida’s PK was annoyingly good at breaking up passing and shooting lanes.
For good measure, Gadjovich picked another fight in the final minute, this time with Mathieu Olivier. Ollie showed why he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the league, as he held a firm grip and kept Gadjovich from landing many punches, while delivering a few powerful right hooks of his own.
Second Period
The Jackets looked a little better to start the second, but still struggled to get any shots on net.
Mateychuk took his second penalty of the night, this time for tripping Anton Lundell. Aleksander Barkov shot from the point and while Elvis Merzlikins made the save, it took a horizontal bounce right to a wide open Mackie Samoskevich.
Columbus got a penalty of their own three minutes later after Sam Bennett hooked Boone Jenner. Florida had a better scoring chance during that penalty than Columbus did. Oof.
Third Period
The Jackets got a couple more power plays in the third, but again couldn’t convert. The second one resulted in Mateychuk taking his third penalty of the night, for tripping Aaron Ekblad. This one was a bit soft, as Mateychuk checked him into the board, then his leg clipped Ekblad’s as Ekblad was turning away from the hit. Not a great night for the young defenseman, but hopefully it doesn’t put him in Evason’s doghouse.
Elvis was pulled with about 2:30 remaining and almost immediately Florida forced a turnover and got the puck to Barkov for the empty-netter.
Final Thoughts
Silver Lining #1: Elvis was great again. 33 saves on the night, and nothing allowed at even strength.
Silver Lining #2: The Jackets were strong in the faceoff circle, winning 59% of the draws. Obviously this didn’t lead to much possession, however.
The lack of forward depth was painfully obvious tonight against a team as good (and deep) as Florida. The top line got a heavy dose of reigning Selke winner Barkov. Jenner’s line won their possession battle and earned 95% of expected goals when they were on ice, but the bottom 6 added nothing. The “identity line” in particular was dominated, and I feel like it’s finally time to split them up.
Yegor Chinakhov still is rusty but looked better tonight than on Tuesday. Move him up from the fourth line, please.
The Jackets claimed Christian Fischer on waivers from Detroit today. He’s a fourth liner, so he doesn’t fix the problem of tonight, which was winning possession and creating quality shots on net. At least Fischer is a better option than LaBate? Low bar is low, but…
If the Jackets can’t acquire a middle 6 winger before the trade deadline tomorrow, then can we at least recall Luca Del Bel Belluz? I think the offense needs a shot in the arm from a player like him.
Some commenters were ready to throw in the towel on the playoffs after these last two performances (and, let’s be honest, getting outplayed in the Stadium Series game). I think this is premature. Detroit lost tonight so the Jackets are still in the first wild card position and still control their destiny to make the playoffs. Are we in the same class as Florida and Tampa? No, but those are Cup-winning rosters. No one said this team was a Cup contender yet. But that doesn’t mean this team isn’t good enough to make the playoffs. The team has overcome so much and has done enough to this point to earn the chance to continue fighting for the postseason. The experience is invaluable for the young core of this team. That means no selling off of Ivan Provorov or James van Riemsdyk or any other pending UFA. Keep the band together and see how far they can go. Get some scoring help for cheap, if possible, that can help out for the next few weeks until Sean Monahan and/or Cole Sillinger return.
Up Next
The trade deadline is at 3:00 PM EST on Friday afternoon. The Jackets will be in Manhattan by then, resting up for a Sunday evening game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Puck drop is at 6:00 PM EDT.