Grading the Columbus Blue Jackets Performance vs NHL’s Elite Teams

November 19th: 4-2 Loss at Toronto

The previous week of action saw the CBJ play three games against Stanley Cup contenders starting north of the boarder in Toronto. The Monday night tilt against the Maple Leafs ended the Jackets point streak at seven with Toronto taking down the Jackets 4-2.

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Columbus started off great with two first period goals from the top line. Cam Atkinson extended his goal streak to five games. Second year center Pierre-Luc Dubois added his tenth of the season with less than a minute remaining in the period and the Jackets had sucked the life out of the arena.

But the talented Leafs answered with two of their own in the second including a John Tavares goal where both Scott Harrington and Zach Werenski were completely dominated on a breakout.

Despite the two goals allowed in the second period, the Jackets were still playing solid. They were outshooting the Leafs and were keeping Toronto’s deadly power play off the ice. But a third period mistake by the fourth line led to a Zach Hyman goal with only 4:22 left that would be the game winner. It was a bad mistake but overall, it was a solid performance from the team and one that would have at least led to points on most nights.

If it wasn’t for Fredrik Andersen playing out of his mind and two small mistakes, the Jackets would have won easily. But against the elite in the NHL, there is almost no margin for error. Despite the loss, the Jackets played well though and earned a decent grade.