Programming Note: There are just seven games in February, so this recap includes both January and the first four games of February. The March recap will include the last three games of February.
Results
L 4-5 vs. DET
W 6-4 vs. STL
W 4-3 (SO) @ PIT
W 6-2 vs. SEA
W 2-1 @ STL
W 3-2 (SO) vs. PHI
W 4-1 vs. SJS
L 0-1 (SO) @ NYR
L 1-3 @ NYI
W 5-1 @ TOR
L 4-7 @ CAR
W 3-2 (OT) vs. LAK
W 2-1 (OT) @ VGK
W 3-2 (OT) @ UTA
L 3-5 @ DAL
L 2-3 @ BUF
L 2-3 (OT) vs. UTA
L 3-4 vs. NYR
A skid in December was followed by a turnaround that began approximately around the time former teammate Patrik Laine inadvertently lit a fire under the Blue Jackets…or was it the arrival of star defensive prospect Denton Mateychuk?
January included a six game win streak, the longest for the Jackets in five years. Were any of those against playoff teams? Hey…shut up.
Nationwide Arena has been good to the Jackets this season (17-6-4) but away games were a challenge. Served up in this month: how about a stretch of 8 of 9 games on the road? 3-4-1 isn’t good, but not a disaster. Wins at Toronto and Vegas were particularly impressive.
Standings
With 60 points (26-22-8), the Blue Jackets are just one point out of a playoff spot, behind Detroit (61 points in 55 games). The outdoor game on March 1 is going to have playoff implications!
The Calgary Flames also have 60 points and are in 9th place in their conference. Throw in Boston College men’s hockey being ranked #1, the USA winning the World Juniors, and the Philadelphia Eagles competing in the Super Bowl tonight, and there are lots of teams finding success this year while playing in honor of the Gaudreau Brothers.
Stats
Note: “January 2025” includes stats from January 1 through February 9.
| Stat | January 2025 | December 2024 | November 2024 | October 2024 | 2023-24 |
| 5v5 CF% | 42.97 (31) | 46.67 (29) | 53.03 (7) | 48.90 (20) | 47.45 (23) |
| 5v5 FF% | 44.51 (30) | 46.11 (28) | 52.97 (6) | 50.17 (17) | 46.77 (25) |
| 5v5 Save % | 92.24 (9) | 90.64 (19) | 87.96 (32) | 91.44 (14) | 91.17 (17) |
| 5v5 Shooting % | 10.05 (8) | 9.47 (16) | 8.00 (21) | 14.21 (2) | 9.03 (11) |
| 5v5 xGF% | 43.52 (29) | 44.60 (30) | 54.10 (6) | 48.63 (19) | 46.13 (27) |
| GPG | 3.06 (11) | 3.00 (15) | 3.23 (9) | 3.89 (5) | 2.85 (24) |
| GAPG | 2.72 (14) | 3.63 (27) | 4.08 (32) | 2.78 (6) | 3.63 (31) |
| PP% | 20.0 (19) | 25.0 (8) | 20.0 (20) | 16.7 (21) | 15.1 (31) |
| PK% | 76.3 (17) | 73.3 (26) | 72.5 (28) | 81.5 (10) | 76.3 (25) |
It’s disappointing to see such a decline in the underlying numbers since November, but credit to the team for finding ways to win despite not always controlling play like they did earlier. One obvious reason: goaltending has stabilized quite a bit. The Jackets have been able to win points in low-scoring games, and not just in games where they score 6+ goals.
Three Stars
Honorable Mention: The Goalies
Like I said, the goaltending overall has taken a big step forward, but it’s not fair for me to recognize just one of them.
Elvis Merzlikins has been the workhorse, and while some of his numbers aren’t stellar, they’re good enough. More importantly, he’s been pretty consistent. His teammates know what to expect, and he’s gotten better at trusting the system. He was 7-5-1 with a .902 save percentage and 2.84 GAA.
After being relegated to third goalie status in December, Tarasov finally accepted a conditioning assignment to Cleveland. What sold him was a clear plan: he would go down, play both parts of a back-to-back, then return and play immediately for the Jackets. He split those AHL games, but the second one was the strong performance the Jackets wanted to see. His return was a 3-2 SO win over Philadelphia, and four days later he recorded his first career shutout (but unfortunately took the loss in a shootout, to the Rangers in MSG). Overall he was 2-1-1 with a .921 save percentage and 2.41 GAA, and those numbers include a disastrous 7 goals surrendered in Carolina.
Jet Greaves started 4 games in December, but just one game in January. That was a 2-1 win at St. Louis, with 31 saves. That’ll do.
Third Star: Adam Fantilli
The team’s goal leader in this stretch was Fantilli, who finally snapped out of his sophomore slump. Sean Monahan’s injury should have been a disaster given how well he played on the top line for three months. Fantilli was watching closely, however, and has been able to fill that hole. The highlight of his month was his first career hat trick, collected in front of dozens of friends and relatives in Toronto.
Second Star: Kirill Marchenko
I believe that the real reason for the success of the top line this season is Marchenko. The other wing changed from Yegor Chinakhov to Dmitri Voronkov, and the center changed from Monahan to Fantilli. But as long as Marchy was there, that line could cook. After suffering a broken jaw, there’s not an obvious replacement for his skill, vision, and physicality, not to mention his infectious personality off the ice.
First Star: Zach Werenski
Ho hum, just another month leading the team in points. Z has also continued a streak of earning points in home games, which puts him in elite company (only Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, and Phil Housley have equal or longer streaks). He’ll represent Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-off and that is well-deserved. He’s also on pace to be a Norris Finalist, and could earn Hart Trophy consideration as well (if the Jackets make the playoffs)
Needs Improvement
Ryan Murray Memorial Injury Report
Three more major injuries in this period, including Monahan, Marchenko, and Dante Fabbro. There is some good news, however, as Boone Jenner appears set to make his season debut following the break. Fabbro is expected to be recovered from his concussion by then as well. Yegor Chinakhov is still working back from a lower back injury, but Aaron Portzline shared more details from Don Waddell today:
Chinakhov was in New York last week to see another specialist and a surgeon, and was told again that there’s nothing structurally wrong with his back and nothing that could be fixed with a surgical procedure, Waddell said.
“It’s all on him right now, when he feels like he can go,” Waddell said. “He’s seen all the doctors he can see. Everything is good in that way, he just keeps feeling some tightness (when he skates).
“You know how these things work. Doctors can say what they say and say what they see, but the individual has to feel as if he’s ready to go.”
Special Teams
The long-struggling power play finally hit its stride in December. The best lineup featured Werenski on the point, Voronkov at the net, Marchenko and Johnson on the wings, and Monahan in the bumper spot. Since Monahan has been out, the PP has been successful just 3 times in 15.5 games. The last power play goal was recorded on Long Island on January 20.
I was surprised to see that the penalty kill had actually improved a bit from December to January, but I still feel like it can be better. Again, losing Monahan hurt here, but this is also an area where Jenner should be able to help.
Damon Severson
Severson’s tendency for particularly poorly timed mistakes earned the ire of Dean Evason and led to three healthy scratches for the veteran defenseman, who still has six years remaining on his contract after this one. Fortunately his play has improved since then, with a +3 rating for the month.
Me
I’m sorry for missing the December edition. The holidays and some travel got in the way, but I’ll be better.