Union and Blue
Fansided

Columbus Blue Jackets Power Play Problems

By Lansing Murphy

ST. PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 14: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard (58) is congratulated after scoring in the 2nd period during the regular season game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild on October 14, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - OCTOBER 14: Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard (58) is congratulated after scoring in the 2nd period during the regular season game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild on October 14, 2017 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Columbus Blue Jackets’ 4-1-0 start to the season is great. The Columbus Blue Jackets power play is not.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have started the season exactly as they wanted to to start the season. Four wins, 3-0 against Metro opponents, on top of the division. Life is good.

But creeping suspicions that the Columbus Blue Jackets power play hasn’t improved since the terrible second half of 2016-17 season is setting in. The Jackets are only converting at a 7.3% rate, good for fourth-worst in the NHL.

They have only one power play goal. One. The lone goal came in the first game of the season midway through a 5-0 drubbing of the New York Islanders. That coincidentally enough was the first power play opportunity of the season for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus Blue Jackets /

Columbus Blue Jackets

Since that Zach Werenski goal, the Jackets are 0-12 on the man advantage. That is unacceptable. For a team who went out and acquired Artemi Panarin to add an elite member of the power play, the start of the man-advantage has been terrible.

Time to Mesh

But the Jackets did just add a new player to the power play and sometimes that meshing takes time. The Jackets through five games have had the second fewest power play opportunities at 13.

The low amount of opportunities is certainly a large contributing factor as to why the power play isn’t clicking. This will get better over time. But the pass happiness needs to end. It isn’t as bad as it was last season but there are still too many guys looking to make a pass.

I think we can all agree that the pass happiness has improved from last year. You can still hear “SHOOT THE PUCK” from every sports bar in Columbus when the Jackets are on the power play, but the passing isn’t as frustrating.

As Alexander Wennberg and Artemi Panarin continue to grow together, the passing will get cut down. Panarin will shoot more and Wennberg will continue his playmaking. I’d like to see some more shots from the point form Werenski as well.

Next: CBJ on top of Metro Division after two weeks

The power play is a huge issue still that needs to be figured out. Time will be the cure for the problems on the man advantage. We would much rather have the power play struggles at the start of the year and not the end of the year.

Home/Editorials