The Columbus Blue Jackets are ready to attack their last game before the Olympic break. They get a return date with the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night at Nationwide Arena. With a win, the Blue Jackets would go into the break with a 10-1 record since head coach Rick Bowness took over.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a big 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. Mathieu Olivier scored twice while Elvis Merzlikins pitched a 23-save shutout. Dante Fabbro scored the game-winning goal in his return to the lineup.
We begin this edition of News and Notes by talking about the state of the defense. With Fabbro back, the Blue Jackets have eight defensemen available to play. How will Bowness handle that?
Six Defensemen Set For Now
The Blue Jackets will eventually need their depth on defense especially when injuries come up. But for now, the team has their top-six clearly identified in the sight of Bowness.
The six defensemen who played Tuesday night are the Blue Jackets’ top-six, Bowness confirmed.
“We consider top-six playing to be our top-six guys,” Bowness said. “So when you have that, then you have to make an adjustment. (Fabbro) played left side last night. He looked fine. Would we prefer three right, three lefties? Yeah, but it’s the way that the team is structured, the way that the D is built. The best look we can throw out is what we threw out last night.”
“Now that being said, could there be changes down the road? Absolutely. But we really liked what we saw last night and we’ll continue with that until we don’t.”
This will mean Jake Christiansen and Egor Zamula will have to wait their turn to play. With the Olympic break coming up, they’ll have to wait an extended period of time until they see the ice again in a game. Just takes one change to have them in. But this will be worth watching as the Blue Jackets go into the grind of a playoff race to see how this play out.
Werenski’s Ice Time
Another thing Bowness talked about on Wednesday morning was Zach Werenski’s ice time being reduced somewhat especially in back-to-back games. The head coach confirmed this was an intentional move to try to keep the defenseman fresher. Here is what was said about that.
“Especially the night before. (They) did a good job last night of keeping him under 23 minutes and I talked to Zach about that. We’d prefer to be down in that range. He’s going to be more effective. He’s not going to be tired. The 22-23 minutes is ideal for him. Now, that being said, if the game’s on the line and we need him to play 27, we know he can respond to that. But we don’t want to get into 20 minutes after two periods so we’re trying to avoid it. So if we need him for those six of the last 10 minutes, he’s able to give us those minutes.”
Werenski has consistently been among the NHL leaders in ice time over the recent past. In the heat of a playoff race, Bowness has identified an opportunity to limit Werenski’s minutes some so he can be fresh and available when the need arises.
Lundestrom Trusted by Bowness
Saturday in St. Louis, Bowness talked about how much he liked what Isac Lundestrom brought to the team. The coach appreciated the role Lundestrom plays acting as a “10th man” being able to play all over the lineup.
Lundestrom says he tries to be the same player he’s always been but acknowledges it’s fun to hear Bowness talk him up.
“I’ve always been the same player,” Lundestrom said. “I want to probably not do the most points and everything like that. But I want to get every detail right and try to be good defensively. I want to be trusted out there (so) they can put me in different situations. It’s always fun to hear.”
Lundestrom is a defensive first player. He won’t cheat the game. He plays in a way where he tries to stay on the right side of the puck. But he thinks he can add offensively too. He scored a goal Saturday night to get the Blue Jackets on the board.
“When I played at home in Sweden, I think I was a little bit more of an offensive player,” Lundestrom said. “At the same time, I want to be responsible defensively. First, I try to keep the puck and not throw it away. I think I’m pretty solid at protecting the puck and I skate pretty good. I think I could definitely use that (part of my game) a little bit more.”
Lundestrom started on the top line Tuesday night but finished on the fourth line with Boone Jenner and Miles Wood. He explains why that is an effective line.
“They think the same way,” Lundestrom said of his linemates. “They’re both good skaters and play a simple game. We understand each other.”
Lundestrom will be on the fourth line most nights but if the need for a shake up arises, Bowness has said he will put Lundestrom in different spots in the lineup. He seems to be getting more comfortable with each passing day.
Same Old Foligno in Chicago
Anyone that’s followed Nick Foligno’s career knows that lately, he’s been a mentor given his veteran status. He’s been instrumental in helping the likes of Connor Bedard and others get comfortable in the NHL.
Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill opened up on Wednesday about what all Foligno has meant to the room. He will return to the lineup on Wednesday to play against his former team.
“He brings unreal perspective,” Blashill said. “Obviously been in the league a long time, been around the game forever. I think he’s an excellent leader. I think he’s done a great job being, I’ve asked him to be kind of a papa bear with our young players to help them in their growth. I think he does a good job of being an extension of the coaching staff in a lot of different ways. He’s been an important player for us as well. I can’t say enough good things about him as a human being number one and then as a leader. He’s done an excellent job.”
Foligno hosted the Blackhawks at his house in Columbus for a get together on Tuesday. He continues to do everything he can to mentor the next wave of players on his team. That part of him has never changed no matter what jersey he’s put on.
Side Dishes
- Jet Greaves will start against the Blackhawks on Wednesday night. With a win, he’d improve to a perfect 5-0-0 under Bowness.
- Kirill Marchenko skated this morning. Bowness said his status would be determined based on that. We’ll see at warmups for sure, but all indications point to Marchenko playing against the Blackhawks.
- The Blue Jackets will have an Olympic sendoff for both Werenski and Elvis Merzlikins as part of the festivities on Wednesday night.
