The Blue Jackets lost their third game in a row for the first time this season. GIven that we are discussing that in April, that is a pretty remarkable thing for this franchise.
But the most important thing that happened on the ice in this game against the Capitals was not really about the scoring, or lack thereof.
It wasn’t the Jackets showing a frustrating lack of awareness and intensity for the majority of the first and second periods, and Sergei Bobrovsky getting badly burned by T.J. Oshie, Alex Burakovsky, and Matt Niskanen as a result.
It wasn’t Jack Johnson going ham to finally get the Jackets on the board.
It wasn’t Kyle Quincey bringing the crowd to their feet when he slammed one past Brayden Holtby from the Blue Line.
It wasn’t a last minute rally that managed to finally look like the higher octane version of this team that has been missing for most of March.
No, this was the most important thing that happened on the ice:
Alex Ovechkin may have taken Zach Werenski out of commission for awhile #CBJ: pic.twitter.com/QfXKBLPlOj
— The Cannon (@cbjcannon) April 3, 2017
That was Zach Werenski, defensive scoring leader, rookie of the year candidate, and quite possibly the team’s most valuable player after Sergei Bobrovsky getting crunched by Alexander Ovechkin, and having to leave the game.
It was quite possibly his season being ended by a player who knows how to throw a clean hit deciding to throw a dirty one.
The Blue Jackets will almost certainly find themselves in the 3rd place slot in the metro – perhaps 2nd. But today’s game likely took 1st and the President’s Trophy off the table.
They will, once again, face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
But who will be able to take the ice for that opening game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just became a very open question – and a very major concern for both the club and their fans.
Because Alexander Ovechkin is a popular enough player that he knows he can do anything he wants – and that the league will allow him to get away with it.