Coaching Decisions Coming into Question as Jackets Lose Again

The Blue Jackets came storming out on Tuesday night, playing what was probably their most complete 40 minutes of hockey this season and holding a 3-0 lead after two periods. Unfortunately, hockey games are 60 minutes long, and the LA Kings – maybe the best team in the league right now – made them pay in the end.

Wash, rinse, repeat. How many times are we going to see this exact same storyline play out this year? The Blue Jackets play inspired, strong hockey; rolling all four lines and keeping pace with a team far ahead of them in the standings … only to fall apart late, lose their lead, and then ultimately watch the game drift out of their grasp.

With 27 games under their belts, the team now has 19 losses. In 14 of those games, they’ve held the lead at some point. In 8 of those games, they’ve held the lead in the third period. Last night marked the fourth time they’ve blown a multi-goal lead and gone on to lose this season. In all five of their overtime losses this year, they’ve held the lead at some point in the game. This team is forging an identity after all; but I don’t think it’s the identity they were hoping to achieve. This identity is fragile, and wilts under pressure.

What could be the cause? Why does this team have a tendency to collapse late in games? We’ve talked about them falling into a “prevent” style defense several times this year, and that is certainly part of the issue here. But last night, it’s hard to overlook the fact that they simply came out flat in the third period. They stopped moving their feet, and against a big, heavy, skilled team like the Kings; that’s a recipe for disaster.

But this is the NHL, and the team talked plenty this fall about how they came back in better shape, ready to stand up to the rigors of the full season. The roster is deeper than its ever been, with three lines capable of scoring goals; and a fourth line that can eat up hard minutes.

The problem? The reason for their collapse? They looked tired last night, and at least part of that is because the coaching staff decided to shorten up the bench in the third period. They stopped rolling those four lines. They did so in a period which they started with a 3-0 lead. This loss falls directly onto the shoulders of the coaching staff. Let’s discuss this further on the next page.