Are the Wheels Off for the Blue Jackets?
By Curtis Deem
A lot of the issues in goal can be covered up by an improved defense …
The goalies have all struggled, but I don’t think this situation is as dire as it’s being made out to be. Picture it this way: Elvis Merzlikins is an emotional guy, who wears his heart right on his sleeve. He makes 19(!) saves in the first period, keeping the score a very reasonable 1-0 at the first intermission, behind a team that outright didn’t show up. They still had a chance because he bailed them out. But they remained almost comically flat. What does that kind of pressure do to such an emotional guy?
It’s obvious. He made 46 saves in this game, but was clearly frustrated and begging to be pulled by the end of it. Yes, he gave up a couple of soft goals, but how many times did he bail the team out in the first period alone? At some point, they have to return the favor and bail him out. The fanbase blasts him every time the team loses because he gives up one or two soft goals. But in reality, we should be asking why the Devils were allowed to take 93 shots towards him.
Maybe we should also be asking why was there no push back offensively? Do we put Laine and Gaudreau on blast every time they finish a game with zero points? Blaming a 7-1 loss on the goalie isn’t fair, when the opposing team was allowed to play a game uncontested. While each guy has given up ugly goals at times, the team in front of them has to be better and help them out.
Once Elvis finds his mojo, and Joonas Korpisalo gets back up to speed, the situation here can be middle of the pack. A lot of the issues in goal can be covered up by an improved defense … which leads us right back to coaching. The coaches can help these goalies out, by making the team more accountable defensively.
Far too often we’re seeing players untouched in front of the net, or odd-man rushes, cross-zone passes. It’s a recipe for failure all around. They need to find a style of defense that the players understand, and then make all 5 guys on the ice accountable for their coverage in the D zone. They have the skill to outscore a lot of their problems if they just play as a team.
While there isn’t one easy button to press to fix the situation here, it has to start with accountability from top to bottom. Coaches have to coach. Scorers have to score. Defenders have to defend. Goalies have to make saves. Enforcers have to enforce. None of that is happening right now, and the record reflects it. You can’t trade the entire roster, so the coaching staff and management has to figure out how to get more out of this team. Preferably soon, rather than later.
Want your voice heard? Join the Union And Blue team!