Blue Jackets: Reviewing the First Half of the Season
The Blue Jackets are off to the worst season in franchise history through 41 games. Sitting 32nd in the NHL with a 12-17-2 record (26pts), a year that began with much hope has dissipated into another year of rebuilding; with the hope that we can add a franchise altering player at the upcoming draft. Today we’ll take a look at some of the highlights, and lowlights of the first half of the season.
First, let’s take a look back at the team’s biggest, most impressive win so far: October 23 vs the New York Rangers. The Jackets rolled into Madison Square Garden having won two of their last three games – but unfortunately, this matchup came on the second half of a back-to-back, with the Jackets losing 6-3 in Pittsburgh the night before.
Having to travel and play the very next night is tough in any situation; but the young Jackets had to do so against two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division. With a 2-4-0 record to kick off the year, this seemed like a game that would show us what this team was made of.
Naturally, the road weary Jackets shocked the Rangers by playing their most complete game of the entire first half of the season. Five different players scored goals for the good guys, and Daniil Tarasov took home first star of the game honors by making 30 saves on 31 shots in a 5-1 CBJ win.
Unfortunately, the team would promptly lose the next five games, including both of the Global Series games in Finland … proving that this Sunday game in NYC was a red herring.
One of those five losses: the low point of the first half of the season. Unfortunately, there were plenty of these to choose from. This team has quit on several occasions and have given up 6 or more goals 9 times already this season. The easy choice here would be the 9-4 loss against Buffalo on December 7th. This one stunk because not only was it a home game, it was on national TV. But, the Jackets did play a mostly even game after that embarrassing first period.
For me, the worst performance this team had in the first half of the season: October 30 at New Jersey. Just one week after beating the Rangers, the Jackets rolled into New Jersey having lost two games in a row (6-3 vs Arizona, 4-0 vs Boston). They were due to leave for Finland after a stop in New Jersey; had a day of rest and would have a few days off afterward before the Global Series games. They should have been looking to empty the tanks.
But, they did not empty the tanks. The tanks were empty when they got there. The Devils struck late in the first, then added 3 goals each in the second and third periods, blowing the Jackets out by a 7-1 score. The team obviously quit in this game, and were expectedly embarrassed by a high powered New Jersey offense that scored way too easily.
Before we dive into some awards for good (and we’ll throw in some bad, as well); let’s take a look at the team by the numbers.
The Jackets are currently mired in a 3-game losing streak; but they already have streaks of 5 losses in a row (Oct. 25-Nov. 5) and 7 (Dec. 13-Dec. 29). They have won consecutive games just three times this year, and have yet to win three games in a row.
The team has been shut out four times, and they have 10 games with only one goal scored. On the other side, they have yet to register a shutout as a team, and have only given up fewer than three goals seven times this year. The goal differential at the mid-way mark for the Blue Jackets (-59) is the second worst in the league (Anaheim, -77).
The goals against average for the Blue Jackets at the halfway mark is sitting right at 4.00 per game, while they’re averaging just 2.56 goals for. Only two teams (Anaheim, 98; Chicago, 89) have fewer goals scored than our 105 and only the Ducks (175) have surrendered more goals than our 164 against.
The Jackets definitely prefer the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena, holding a 10-13-1 record … while winning just two games on the road for a 2-14-1 record. The bad news here: they have played 24 of their allotted 41 home games at the mid-way mark, meaning the second half of the season will have 24 games on the road. There is a seriously strong chance that this team will finish dead last in the NHL, if their road record so far is any indication.
Now, about those midseason awards…
Team MVP: Johnny Gaudreau. And this one isn’t even close. Gaudreau leads the team in goals (12), assists (27), points (39), power-play points (10), shots on goal (110); and is tied for the team lead with 2 game winning goals. He’s the team’s lone All-Star selection, and has been one of the few consistently bright spots this year. I would hate to imagine this team’s record without #13 signing here in the offseason.
Best Rookie: Kent Johnson. Though the argument could be made for Kirill Marchenko. Through 38 games, Johnson has 8 goals and 18 points, having been thrust into a job at center with Boone Jenner’s absence. Marchenko has 9 goals in just 18 games played … it will be interesting to see how this shakes out by season’s end.
Best Defenseman: Vladislav Gavrikov. On a team that needs every scrap of defense it can get, Vlad has been his usual steady, shot blocking, minute eating self. In a contract year he’s shown his value in a big way, continuing to take on the top assignments from the opposition on a nightly basis.
Comeback Player: Joonas Korpisalo. He leads the team in wins (6, with the other two goalies combining for 6 wins) and has a 90.8% save percentage in 18 games played (16 starts). On many nights, he’s kept the team relatively close in games that they had no business playing in. His stabilizing presence has allowed the team to take more development time with Daniil Tarasov, and give Elvis Merzlikins time to sort himself out.
Biggest Surprise (aside from Korpisalo): Marcus Bjork. At the beginning of the season, you would have had him slotted somewhere between 8-12 on the team’s defensive depth chart. But after being called up early on, he found himself playing on the top defense pair and #1 power-play unit in no time … and he hasn’t often looked out of place. His signing was a bit of an afterthought in the offseason, but he’s been steady.
Biggest Disappointment: Elvis Merzlikins. If this team was going to have any shot at a playoff run this year, it was going to be on the back of Elvis. Instead, he’s been visibly frustrated on many nights, sporting just an 86.5% save percentage and whopping 4.62 goals against average. It’s definitely not all his fault, and he has been noticeably better lately. Let’s hope he’s getting back onto the right track here, he’s a popular teammate and talented player who deserves better.
The Goat (not the good kind): Erik Gudbranson. Signed to a 4-year, $16m contract in the offseason, Gudbranson was expected to bring toughness and defensive accountability to this team. Instead, on many nights, he gets outshined by younger, less experienced players – often including his own defense partner, rookie Tim Berni.
We Want More: Patrik Laine. Yes, injuries have slowed his season to a grind. Yes, he still sits fourth on the team in points. But, where’s the guy from the preseason, who couldn’t wait to hit the ice and score 50 goals this year? Too often, Patty is invisible, and he has scored just one power-play goal this year. We need more of this:
WELCOME BACK PATRIK LAINE 💥 💥 💥 pic.twitter.com/I29Tz3HJFF
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 3, 2022
With exactly half of the schedule remaining, the goal from this point on should be evaluating the players here to decide who should be part of the core here, and who should not. Expect the team to make some trades before the deadline; likely loading up on more futures as the rebuild continues. With zero expectations, let’s just try to enjoy the games for what they are: glimpses into the future.
Cursed or Clever? The Injury Wire and the Draft. dark. Next