Five games. Eight days. Two points to make up.
A six-game losing skid has put the Blue Jackets on the wrong side of the playoff bar, but there’s no time to sulk about it. Starting with tomorrow night’s game in Detroit, the Blue Jackets will race to the finish needing wins to make up ground in the Eastern Conference and end a five-year playoff drought.
Easter Sunday was part of just one of two stretches after the Olympic break in which the Blue Jackets have multiple days off between games, a welcome reset ahead of what will be a frantic finishing stretch.
It’s also a chance for the Blue Jackets to consider what has been missing from their game of late, as Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Winnipeg was punctuated by a 20-minute players-only meeting postgame.
“I just think it’s good to communicate,” forward Mason Marchment said afterward. “We’re all men in here, and we’re a family. It’s nice to hear what everyone (thinks) and where we all sit. I think for me, it’s just belief, just believing at every stage, whether you’re up or down or whatever is going on, just believing in each other and the guy next to you.”
That belief has been present throughout the entire season, both when the Blue Jackets sat in last place in the Eastern Conference in January and then when the team won 20 of 27 games to get back into a playoff position.
The Blue Jackets will need to lean into it as they try to work their way back in a crowded playoff race, and the teams in front of them remain in sight. Philadelphia holds third place in the Metropolitan Division and Ottawa occupies the final wild card spot, both with 90 points, while the Blue Jackets are two back with 88. The New York Islanders (89 points), Detroit (88) and Washington (87) remain in the mix.
So what has been missing as the Blue Jackets have gone 0-5-1 in the last six games? Head coach Rick Bowness and defenseman Zach Werenski both pointed to a lack of connection on the ice, with players struggling to consistently get on the same page.
“I think the effort is there,” Werenski said. “I think guys are working, but I think it’s that unpredictability. We’re just all not on the same page right now. And it feels like when we were winning, we were all on the same page. We were predictable for each other — all five guys as a unit on the ice, breakouts, neutral zone, frustrating teams offensively. We stuck to our game plan for 60 minutes.
“And I don’t think guys are doing it out of any other reason than they’re trying to help, I think guys really want to win and make the playoffs, and we have a lot of character guys in this room. It’s making sure we’re all on the same page. Hockey is a full five-man team game, you all have to be predictable to each other and set your teammates up for success.”
That lack of connection has made it difficult for the Blue Jackets to get their game going, as the success throughout the winter was predicated on a strong forecheck, pressuring opponents into mistakes and working together as a five-man unit in the defensive zone to get the puck up the ice. Injuries haven't helped, as the Blue Jackets have missed Damon Severson's skill to move the puck on the back end as well as Mathieu Olivier's ability to get in on the forecheck and make opponents think twice about their next move.
But to head coach Rick Bowness, the biggest issue has been a case of the Blue Jackets getting away from what makes them successful.
“All our issues right now are related to just terrible puck management,” Bowness said after Saturday's game. “We’re making very poor percentage plays. We create the second-most chances on the forecheck in the entire league, yet we want to get inside the blue line and make cute little plays against good teams that aren’t working.
“They have to change their mind-set. We’re a north, hard-skating and pressure team. You turn the puck over as much as we did, you’re on your heels all the time. Both goals (against Winnipeg), we had control of the puck and we just turned it over and gave it to them. That’s what’s frustrating to me.”
As the team has gotten away from that style, the offense has suffered. The Blue Jackets have just 10 goals in the last six games, and there's a belief that frustration with that could be leading to players pressing to do too much.
It hasn't hurt the team too much in the defensive zone -- the Blue Jackets have allowed only 11 goals at 5-on-5 in the last six games -- but it has left Columbus susceptible to opposing forechecks, leading to the Jackets not being able to clear the zone or create sustained offense. They've also faltered in key situations, giving up seven power-play goals in the last six games and being outscored 11-1 in the third period, perhaps because of a stretch of 17 games in 30 days to close out March.
That's why the rest over the past few days could be so critical, and the Blue Jackets know the blueprint for success is there. There is a historical precedent for such a strong finish, as the 2019 team was out of the playoffs with eight games to go, then won seven of them to clinch a postseason berth and beat Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs.
"I think it’s similar in a sense," Werenski said. "I remember we had the deadline and we had all the conversations in the room about winning and playing the right way and we finally turned it around, and then next thing you know we’re dynamite in the playoffs.
"Stuff like this, it happens. It sucks. There’s no one that hates it more than the guys in that room. We were so close and we were in such a good position, and now we’re on the outside looking in, but there’s still time to change that and it starts with tomorrow."
Just don’t expect the Blue Jackets to give up. The last few games haven’t been their best, but they’re dedicated to putting together a finish they hope they’ll remember for a long time.
“Listen, this group cares,” Bowness said. “It's a good group. They're frustrated, and I get that. But don't ever think they don't care, and don't ever think they're not trying. They are. Do we need some better efforts? Yes, without a doubt. And we're going to get them. This is a proud group.
“I've said from day one, I've loved working with them. I still believe in them, and I still love working with them. Do we have some issues we have to straighten out? Yes, and some of that is on me as well."
