The Blue Jackets look to get back into the win column tonight, hoping to do so against their Metropolitan Division rival Washington Capitals. This is the final stop of their four game road trip.
It would be nice to finish this trip out on a high note. After the team split the first two games of the trip, Blue Jackets fans were left with a sour taste in their mouths after Saturday afternoon's loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
Another two goal third period lead was blown by the Jackets, and again they were mostly dominated possession-wise in overtime. The frustrating thing isn't so much that this team is losing, it's how they are losing.
They have shown that they can play with any team in the league for long stretches of time. It's the third period that is killing them, and it all stems from the way they try to sit back and defend leads.
A blind man could see the issue with this team right now, and it's frustrating that the coaching staff has not corrected the issue yet.
This Capitals team is not the kind of team you can have a momentum collapse against. The Jackets found that out earlier this season, dropping a 5-1 game at home to them on October 24th, their lone matchup so far this season.
The Opponent
Washington bucked the trend of the traditional rebuild, and it has worked out somewhat brilliantly for them. Instead of trading their aging core away, they went out and reliable found support pieces and reclamation projects that have panned out well.
Couple that with some coy draft picks and the right head coaching hire; and this team has surprised everyone with their run of success. Currently, they sit at 11-9-2 (24 points); one point behind the Jackets in the standings.
But, they have a +9 goal differential and 10 of their wins have come in regulation. In that regard, you can see that they are a much better team than their record might indicate. And, they are coming off of a 5-3 loss at home against Tampa Bay on Saturday night, so they should be hungry.
The Caps get scoring from throughout their lineup. Tom Wilson leads the way in both goals (11) and points (21), but there are four players with at least 19 points; including defensemen Jakob Chychrun and John Carlson.
They also still have the game's most prolific goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin; who is red hot, with 8 points (6 goals) in his last 5 games.
But, it's their defensive structure that has kept them relevant in the Great 8's golden years. Washington defends as a team and falls back on goaltender Logan Thompson, who has quietly emerged as one of the premier starters in the league.
The Capitals will be without two of their centers, with both Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nic Dowd currently on IR. Otherwise, this is still a very skilled, highly competitive opponent.
The Good Guys
Saturday afternoon's embarrassing loss in Detroit dropped the Blue Jackets to 5-4-3 in 12 games in November. While the games have been frustrating, they are still picking up points; so it's not a complete loss.
The top line has gone a little bit cold over the last couple of games, which has exacerbated the secondary scoring issue this team has struggled with so far this season.
As a result, defenseman Zach Werenski has started to do more heavy lifting, passing Dmitri Voronkov for second on the team in scoring. But, tonight, it would be really nice to see them find some offense from other areas of the lineup. Particularly their second line.
Meanwhile, it sure seems like Jet Greaves has taken over the starting job in goal. He's gotten the nod in 8 of the last 10 games, including Saturday in Detroit; where he played pretty well despite the loss. I'm interested to see where the team looks tonight.
Three Keys to Success
1. Limit mistakes. Washington is going to stick to their structure for the entire 60 minutes. There will be ups and downs, but they will play the same way; and their system is designed to burn teams in transition. The Jackets need to avoid letting the Capitals gain momentum off of their mistakes.
2. Second and third chances. This is where the Jackets have struggled offensively this season. They need to get pucks to the net, then find those second and third chances to score goals.
3. Play CBJ hockey for 60 minutes. Just like the Capitals will do, the Jackets need to stick to the brand of hockey that has made them successful. Stop doing whatever that third period nonsense is, and continue to play at the other end - even if you have a two goal lead.
Tonight's game is set for 7:00 from Washington, DC. You can catch the game locally via FDSN, nationally via ESPN+, or tune in to Bob McElligott via NHL radio. We will be live tweeting reactions over on X.