The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the new week coming off a split of their back-to-back games against the Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators. They find themselves still right there in the playoff race.
The Blue Jackets won a thriller 7-6 in a shootout against the Canucks on Friday night. Then in Ottawa Saturday night, they played well in stretches but ultimately fell 3-2 to the Senators.
The loss Saturday dropped the Blue Jackets to 1-9-0 on the second half of back-to-back games this season. But unlike the previous eight losses in this scenario, the Blue Jackets had a chance to win. It’s marked improvement from earlier in the season.
Turning a Corner?
Are the Blue Jackets starting to turn that all important corner when it comes to back-to-back games? The 1-9-0 would seem to indicate that they haven’t.
But a closer look suggests perhaps there are some positive signs. Both Adam Fantilli and head coach Dean Evason believe the team is turning a corner.
“We came in and we gave ourselves a chance to win on a back-to-back,” Fantilli said. “I think that’s the best we’ve played on a back-to-back in a while here. I’m proud of our effort. Didn’t go our way. We had some chances that didn’t go in. What can you do? Try to get back at it (Tuesday.)”
The Blue Jackets won’t make excuses for their play in any situation. They know no matter how they feel or how quick a turnaround the next game is, they have to be at their best. Fantilli agreed that the team is turning a corner.
“There’s no excuse for us to not be at the top of our game every night. We have all the resources to be there. We just gotta be at our best every night and there’s no excuse for that. Just because we’re playing a back-to-back doesn’t mean we’re going to be a little bit tired or sluggish. We still got to be the same team and play the same way and get the same result (wins).”
Evason believes the effort in more recent back-to-backs have been better. Like Fantilli, he believes the Blue Jackets are starting to turn a corner.
“I think that’s fair,” Evason said. “If you just look at the short term the last game in particular, we have talked about from our standpoint but that’s as close of a playoff game. It was so fast at the start and so hard. Everyone’s playing right and gritty and determined and the scored dictated. A one-goal hockey game, low scoring. Everyone was dialed in and committed to playing that type of a hockey game. And unfortunately, we couldn’t find that one.”
“We had a couple of chances at the end to tie it up. That would have been ideal and have a chance to win in overtime or the shootout. But yeah, I agree. I think if we just look at that back-to-back, we’ve got two more coming, if we play like that, we should put ourselves in a good spot.”
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The last two back-to-backs come up when the Blue Jackets play again in Ottawa on Sunday. But this time, both teams are playing back-to-back where as the Senators were waiting at home for the Blue Jackets the first time. The other back-to-back is against the Washington Capitals.
Saturday’s game was the Blue Jackets’ best effort on the second half of back-to-backs this season given the opponent and what was on the line. They didn’t get the result. But they did establish the framework of what it’s going to take to be successful in that situation.
Side Dishes
- Evason said that Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan each had maintenance days. As for Dante Fabbro, Evason said “We’re evaluating and I hope he plays tomorrow.” Fabbro missed Saturday night in Ottawa and is considered day-to-day.
- Practice lines suggested no changes up front. That would mean Yegor Chinakhov and James van Riemsdyk among others would continue to sit. Evason didn’t want to divulge his lineup on Monday. But he did admit that every decision about the lineup is hard and it’s a topic of conversation in the meetings.
- The Blue Jackets play the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. Despite being eliminated, the Predators are still a dangerous team. The Blue Jackets know it too. Here’s Evason: “You just look at their lineup. We’ve got it up on our board this morning and you just look at who is in their lineup. This league is too good to even think about teams being separate. The standings, the points maybe are separated, but the skill sets and how teams play in the National Hockey league is very consistent. We won’t take anybody lightly.”
- The Blue Jackets announced that they signed 2021 fourth-round pick Guillaume Richard to a two-year entry-level contract. The deal kicks in starting in 2025-26. He is now on an ATO with the Cleveland Monsters.
- The Monsters also signed Tyler Peddle to an ATO for the rest of this season.