Are the Blue Jackets for real?
It’s a topic people around hockey are starting to debate, and the spotlight on Columbus shined particularly bright when the team arrived in the center of the hockey universe for last night’s game against Toronto.
One of the best ways to get noticed in the NHL is to take the show to the epicenter of the sport, and the hockey media descended on the Blue Jackets before and after Wednesday’s game.
They certainly didn’t disappoint. Facing a huge January battle against a Maple Leafs team that entered leading the NHL in home wins, the Blue Jackets raced their way to a 5-1 win that featured standout performances from Toronto kids Adam Fantilli (first career hat trick) and Luca Del Bel Belluz (a goal and an assist).
When writers say the story writes itself, they dream of nights like that, but for the Blue Jackets the focus was much more on getting back in the win column. In the midst of a tricky four-game road swing that continues tonight in Carolina, Columbus needed points after starting the trip with a scoreless shootout loss at the Rangers and a rough setback against the Islanders.
“We didn’t like the result the last couple of games,” said James van Riemsdyk, who also scored a goal. “Obviously, I thought our game at MSG was better than the last one, so we really wanted to make sure we responded the right way, getting back to being predictable with each other, being connected as a five-man unit and just stick together as a team. I thought we did all of that tonight.”
It was a game that showed the Blue Jackets at their best, as they played as a team, defended staunchly and got contributions from everyone on the ice. Mathieu Olivier set the tone early with an inspirational fight against Toronto heavyweight Ryan Reaves, Elvis Merzlikins held down the fort with 28 saves, and 10 different players got on the scoresheet.
And perhaps the biggest sign of growth came in the way the Blue Jackets held a 3-0 lead after two periods. A year ago, Columbus saw a 5-0 third-period lead in Toronto evaporate before winning in overtime; this time around, they not just protected but extended their advantage.
“There’s just a belief in our locker room,” Fantilli said. “I think we’ve been playing as a solid unit, sticking to our systems and just trusting each other a lot, trusting each other’s ability and trusting that we’re all going to be playing within the system. I think if we do that, we can be a great team and we can beat anybody on any given night.”
Head coach Dean Evason was also pleased with the performance postgame, noting that “everybody played their part” in the victory. The Blue Jackets have been happy with their increased focus on defensive structure in recent games, but in New York, they didn’t get an offensive payoff with just a single goal scored in the two games against the Rangers and Islanders.
On this night, they defended staunchly against one of the league’s top offensive teams and then got the reward on the other end, turning victorious battles in the offensive zone into goals.
“(It’s) not cheating the game,” Evason said. “We don’t talk about opening things up and trying to score goals. We talk about keeping it out of our net and allowing that to translate into offense. It did tonight.”
Know The Foe: Carolina Hurricanes
Head coach: Rod Brind’Amour (Seventh season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 3.29 (6th) | Scoring defense: 2.73 (6th) | PP: 21.0 percent (17th) | PK: 85.2 percent (2nd)
The narrative: The Canes just keep on Canesing, as the team’s high-pressure style continues to lead to turnovers, a bushel of shots on goal and a lot of wins. Fresh off six consecutive playoff appearances, Carolina went through major changes in the offseason – including the departure of GM Don Waddell to Columbus – but just keeps on rolling. The Canes are again firmly in a playoff spot and chasing Washington for a fourth Metro title in five seasons, but the Stanley Cup is the one thing that has eluded the group to this point.
Team leaders: Martin Necas is having his best season yet, as the 26-year-old native of Czechia leads the Hurricanes with 54 points on 16 goals and 38 assists, though he has just two goals in the past 22 games. One of the most consistent players in the NHL, Sebastian Aho continues to produce with 14 goals among his 46 points, while 22-year-old wing Seth Jarvis has a 16-18-34 line. Jack Roslovic adds a team-best 17 tallies and Andrei Svechnikov 15, and veteran Shayne Gostisbehere leads the defense with 28 points.
With goalie Frederik Andersen out for much of the season with a knee injury, Carolina has used five different goalies this season. Pyotr Kochetkov has stepped into the lead role, starting 30 games and going 18-9-2 with a 2.47 GAA and .904 save percentage, while Andersen (4-1-0, 1.78, .929) returned to the lineup and got the win Monday vs. the Blackhawks.
What's new: Carolina underwent not just a shakeup in the front office but also the lineup this offseason, as the team said goodbye to Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Stefan Noesen and Brady Skjei and welcomed in former Blue Jackets Roslovic and Eric Robinson as well as Gostisbehere, William Carrier and Sean Walker. After a hot 16-5-1 start, Carolina went through a 10-11-2 skid but has won three in a row over Vegas, Chicago and Dallas. The power play is struggling, though, scoring just once one time in 31 chances over the last 11 games.
Trending: This is the final contest of the four-game series this year, with Columbus winning both games in Nationwide Arena and Carolina taking the lone matchup in BBQ country, a 4-1 victory Dec. 16.
Former CBJ: Robinson is ninth on the team in scoring this season, posting a 10-12-22 line, while Roslovic’s goal-scoring touch has been on full display. Goalie Spencer Martin is back in the minors but has played in nine games.
