Three things we noticed about the Blue Jackets this weekend

This weekend was a tale of two very different games for the Columbus Blue Jackets. As different as they were, the results were the same: both were frustrating losses.

On Saturday, they found the back of the net early and often against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. But, the referees made some questionable decisions and momentum swung wildly in both directions, ultimately resulting in a 7-6 overtime loss.

It was a game that head coach Dean Evason could only call "a joke". No further explanation was really required, because it would have either resulted in a fine; or a further disgruntled goaltender. The team preferred to put this one to bed and just move on to the net one.

The next one came on Sunday, where the Jackets played the Capitals in Washington. Unfortunately, they could not find the net. Both teams got outstanding goaltending, but Logan Thompson was able to make one more save than Jet Greaves en-route to a 2-0 Capitals win.

With a possible four points in the air - and a chance to get within two points of first place, had they won both - the Jackets come away with just one point in the standings. They remain dead last in the Metropolitan Division, 7 points behind the first place Caps.

Three things that stood out.

1. The elephant in the room: goaltending.

As the Blue Jackets continue to try to find their way up the standings, one thing that became very obvious to any observer: Jet Greaves needs to be the full-time starter. Before last night's game even started, our Mike Stump touched on the subject. After the game, he was proven absolutely correct.

In this article, he talks about the penalty kill, and how much better one guy has been than the other. This isn't a knock on Elvis Merzlikins, but it's a fact that needed mentioning.

The Jackets are a pretty darn good team at 5 on 5. Where they have struggled is on special teams, and if one goaltender is making those saves; he should be the guy getting the starts.

Elvis started three consecutive games last week. The team allowed 15 goals in those games. 7 of them were on the power-play. Certainly, not all of those are on him. In fact, I thought he played particularly well in the first game against New Jersey. These starts were earned.

But, if you take away even 5-6 of those power-play goals (yes, it's possible): the results of these games would look a lot better.

That could be a massive swing in the standings, and it all boils down to the penalty kill. Your goaltender needs to be your best player when shorthanded, and Greaves has proven that he can do so more consistently. It's time to hand over the reins full-time.

We're not even talking about finding the best goaltender in the league. sometimes, you just need the right one. The final nail in the coffin of this debate: with Jet Greaves in the CBJ goal, Washington was 0-4 on the power-play Sunday.

2. They Jackets are still missing a secondary scoring punch.

The Blue Jackets continue to struggle with scoring outside of their top line and Zach Werenski. Yesterday's loss in Washington is a prime example of the issue.

It was easy for the Capitals to match up their best defensive players against the Adam Fantilli line at even strength. With that line in check, they were able to dominate Sean Monahan's second line, pinning them to a brutal 26.1% CORSI at 5 on 5. Yikes.

In Saturday's game, they found some secondary offense, but it wasn't something that you can look at and call sustainable. Occasionally, the Jackets will "Forrest Gump" their way into a goal off of a rush or a broken play.

But, as far as in-zone offense outside of their top line? It's almost non existent. This is also part of the reason their power-play continues to flounder.

I'm going to just come out and say it: Kent Johnson and Yegor Chinakhov, we're looking at you here. Don't care what minutes you're getting, who you're playing with, or what the matchups are. Figure it out and start contributing.

3. Denton Mateychuk is quietly breaking out.

Dare I say it? I thought Denton Mateychuk was the best skater the Blue Jackets had yesterday. Call it an eye test thing because the advanced stats don't really support it. I'll stand by it.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing can be debated. On the second half of a back-to-back, it's not ideal to have your 21 year old sophomore defenseman playing a better game than your veteran leaders.

I thought he looked really solid on both sides of the puck. He had some offensive chances (one shift in the second period really stood out), and even went toe to toe with Tom Wilson in a physical board battle.

Throw the numbers out the window, because he's not getting anywhere near the opportunities many of his offensive minded peers are getting. Hello Dean, maybe try him on the power-play? It worked here:

On both sides of the puck, we're seeing a guy who is starting to figure it out. Great news for this team moving forward.

In Summary

In the end, the results shouldn't surprise us. As different as these two games were, they both share one common trait: the Jackets didn't put everything together for a full 60 minutes in either game.

When they start doing that consistently, they will win games. Even the big ones. It takes timely saves, timely scoring, secondary scoring, and big plays in key moments. Hopefully they get there soon.