The Columbus Blue Jackets completed their 28th and 29th games of the season on Thursday and Friday night. They lost to the New York Islanders 7-3 and defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-2.
There was a lot that happened that was good, bad and ugly for the Blue Jackets. Here are our 10 takeaways from the two games.
Islanders Score Was Deceptive
Anyone that just looked at the final box score and saw the Blue Jackets lost 7-3 probably think it was just another typical outing of late in which the team was outclassed. It was another typical outing but not in the sense of being blown out.
The score of the game was 2-1 Blue Jackets over 30 minutes into the game. The newly formed line of Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli and Emil Bemstrom helped overcome a 1-0 deficit. Bemstrom and Fantilli scored goals while making the Islanders faithful start booing the home team. Life was pretty good in the moment for the Blue Jackets.
But then one mistake started the downward spiral. That’s the typical we’re talking about.
Four Blue Jackets went to the boards trying to cover two Islanders players. They left Cal Clutterbuck wide open behind them. This tied the game.
The Islanders went on to score two more goals after that which came :28 apart to take a 4-2 lead into the intermission. Fantilli struck again to make it 4-3. Then three unanswered goals created the final score.
The Blue Jackets were the faster team most of the night. They controlled play early. But costly mistakes and lack of puck management flipped the game around. The score was deceptive. They played much better than what a box score of 7-3 would say.
Fantilli Playing With Heavy Heart
Fantilli recorded his first multi-goal game in his NHL career Thursday night. It was also his first three-point game. Then he followed that up by scoring another goal on Friday night against the Blues. He’s doing all his damage of late at 5-on-5.
Fantilli is also playing with a very heavy heart. He revealed to the media postgame Thursday that his grandmother recently passed away. Mariola was an integral part of his life. His performance the last two games were played with her at the top of his mind.
Fantilli is now tied for second in rookie goals with eight and is in second place alone with 16 points only trailing Connor Bedard. We’re seeing the very beginning stages of a player who’s going to be a superstar in the NHL. He’s just 19 and is already showing the qualities of why he was such a highly-touted prospect.
Fantilli is demanding the puck when there’s an opportunity. He’s starting to assert himself more with each passing game. Then if you leave him open, he’ll casually complete a between the legs saucer pass to start a goal. He made the pass then finished the play. Ridiculous for someone his age.
We wish our sincerest condolences to Adam and his family over their loss.
Russians Imposing Themselves
While they didn’t have their best game on Thursday night, the Russian line of Yegor Chinakhov, Dmitri Voronkov and Kirill Marchenko led the way Friday against the Blues. In particular, Chinakhov showed the NHL what he might eventually become.
Chinakhov scored two consecutive goals in the third period Friday night 5:55 apart to help the Blue Jackets to a more comfortable 4-1 lead. Both goals showed off different elements of what the line is capable of.
On the 3-1 goal, Voronkov forced a turnover. Marchenko then fed Voronkov who fed it back to Marchenko who then found Chinakhov crashing the net. Tic. Tac. Toe. Goal. Defense to offense and instant impact to score a huge goal.
Then on a power play, the Blues left Chinakhov wide open in the slot. He cranked a mid 90s slap shot to make it 4-1. Postgame, Chinakhov told the media he has an even harder shot yet to unleash.
It’s pretty clear who the Blue Jackets are counting on in key situations in games. The Russian line is playing in all situations and have chemistry. They’re talking on the ice and very engaged. It’s a line the Blue Jackets hope continue to develop and stay together for as long as possible.
Greaves First NHL Win
The story on Friday night was Jet Greaves. He was up on emergency recall with Elvis Merzlikins on injured reserve due to an illness. It was the second of back-to-back games. It was also Greaves’ second NHL start.
So what does Greaves do? He goes out and makes 41 saves.
The Blue Jackets were dominated on the shot clock. Greaves made all of the needed saves to allow the team to score timely goals. What stood out was his rebound control. They were very few rebounds to be had. His glove hand was also on full display.
It was a heck of a performance from Greaves who was leading the AHL in wins thanks to his great start with the Cleveland Monsters. He’s their fourth goalie on the depth chart. To be able to get that kind of a game speaks volumes of what he is. Everyone was excited for him. His save on Kevin Hayes late in the game was his best of the night and helped seal the win when the Blues were pushing.
Jenner’s Status
Now we get to some of the more bad and ugly stuff. Boone Jenner had to leave the game Friday after a shot from Ivan Provorov deflected off Robert Thomas and right into Jenner’s face. He immediately left the ice and was never able to return to the game.
Postgame, Pascal Vincent said he didn’t know the full scope of the injury yet but was anticipating more bad news than good in this situation. This will be a massive loss for the Blue Jackets given what he brings. He’s their leading goal scorer, one of their most dependable two-way forwards and a source of energy for the team.
The Blue Jackets are off Saturday in advance of their Sunday matinee game against the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena. We’ll see if the team offers any kind of official update before then. The fact that Jenner couldn’t return says a lot about what kind of injury this could be.
Team Defense Major Concern
While the Blue Jackets did win on Friday, they again allowed over 40 shots on goal. They allow 34.2 shots on goal per game which is third-worst in the NHL. They on average are outshot by almost five every game. They average 29.8 shots on goal per game themselves.
Beyond the shots, the coverages and puck management have been not good all season but especially in recent games. The Islanders game is a perfect example of this. The first two Islander goals were players left wide open. Clearly someone is missing assignments.
This is the part of the game where it makes it tough to see the Blue Jackets recover from their place in the standings this season. Given the new acquisitions, the defense was at least supposed to be better. While it’s better than last year, it’s not nearly good enough right now.
You Might Also Like
- Jakub Voracek Announces Retirement From the NHL
- Blue Jackets Need Major Shake Up For Sake of Winning
- 17 Blue Jackets’ Thoughts From End of Season Media Day
- First NHL Shot, First NHL Goal for Blue Jackets’ Del Bel Belluz
- Projected Lineups for the Hurricanes vs Blue Jackets – 4/16/24
Teams have been able to push later in games all season and find success against the Blue Jackets. They haven’t wanted to make the big mistake. But in doing that, they sit back and allow the opposition to impose their will. This strategy hasn’t worked for them. As they get more experience, we will see improvement in that area. Friday night if nothing else was a start. It gave them some confidence that they can close out a third period with the lead.
This will be a major on-ice story to watch. What will the Blue Jackets be able to do to get better in this area? Don’t expect sustained success giving up 34 shots every game.
Side Dishes
- The Blue Jackets list of the injured or ill has suddenly gotten lengthy. We touched on Jenner and Merzlikins earlier. Patrik Laine and Erik Gudbranson are out due to illness. Cole Sillinger, Adam Boqvist, Damon Severson and Jack Roslovic are out too. That’s eight regulars out. Boqvist, Severson and Roslovic are the furthest away from returning. The others could be back soon depending on recovery.
- The Blue Jackets power play is getting some success of late. With Chinakhov’s goal Friday, the team is up to 14.5% on the season and are 17.0% at home. Baby steps.
- Another major issue. Playing on the road. The Blue Jackets have just two wins in 13 road games this season. It’s a different set of challenges to overcome to be sure like not having last change. However it’s a major concern that they have to find a way to get more wins away from Nationwide Arena.
- After their game on Sunday, the Blue Jackets will have three days off before playing in Toronto. That’s just the second time all season they’ll get a three-day break. With 30 games played in 60 days, the rest will be a welcome sight. Given everything going on, they can use the time off.
