PREVIEW: Blue Jackets complete back-to-back by taking on Hurricanes
Columbus faces another tough road challenge, this one against the top team in the East
After a 6-15-1 stretch seemingly had the team doomed to a second straight season without playoff hockey, Columbus has turned it on as the stretch run nears. The Blue Jackets have won nine of 11 overall and seven of eight since the All-Star break, and the last two wins stand out.
Facing two of the top 10 teams in the league in points percentage in Toronto and Florida, Columbus posted a 4-3 overtime win against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday in Nationwide Arena, then went to the edge of the Everglades on Thursday night into what had been a personal house of horrors and earned a 6-3 victory over the Panthers.
GAMEDAY GUIDE: Jackets look to run it back against Canes
So what has changed over the last few weeks to turn the Jackets into one of the hottest teams in the league?
"I think we're just upping our compete level," captain Boone Jenner said. "The details of the game, with the puck, the puck management, but also without the puck. One breakdown not leading to another and things like that, five-man units that support each other all over the ice a little bit more. Obviously, I think it starts with our energy, our focus and our competitiveness. That's been ramped up, and this time of year you have to ramp it up."
It's been a playoff-style game the Blue Jackets have turned too, one complete with physicality -- the Jackets had 43 hits on Thursday against the Panthers -- and competitiveness at the puck.
"I think that's been coming for weeks now," head coach Brad Larsen said. "I think it's obviously been a focus for us - the competitiveness and what that has to look like from everybody. It can't just be from a couple of guys. I know (Sean Kuraly) is going to get his hits. I know Boone is going to finish his checks. It's just finishing when it's available and not chasing it. If the physical play is there, take it."
So far, that has helped turn defense into offense as well, as the Blue Jackets have scored 52 goals over that stretch, the most of any 11-game segment in team history. The puck has going in more especially of late, with the Jackets posting 24 goals over the past six games. Against Florida, there were six different goal scorers and 11 total players got on the score sheet.
"If you want to win, you need to have that scoring depth throughout the lineup and I think that's what we're getting right now," said Jakub Voracek, who had two more assists against the Panthers. "We have to ride it out as long as we can because we need those points to make up that ground a little bit. We're making plays right now, which is really important for us."
The road doesn't get any easier, though, with contests against Metropolitan Division rivals Carolina and Pittsburgh next.
"We had really tough teams the last two games, Toronto and Florida, and we have two coming up that are pretty big as well," Voracek said. "Every game is a battle from now on, and you just have to work hard."
Know the Foe
The challenge doesn't get any easier for the Blue Jackets, as Columbus heads now to Carolina for the second half of a back to back against a team that has been battling Florida for the top spot in the Eastern Conference for much of the season. Currently, the Canes are second in the NHL and first in the East with a points percentage of .740.
And while the Blue Jackets haven't quite had the same trouble with the Canes as they have the Panthers, they still know how hard it can be to handle the speed, pressure and skill of the Hurricanes. Columbus has lost two of three this year to Carolina, and while the win was a memorable 6-0 shutout in the first trip of the season to Raleigh, the two losses in Nationwide Arena were by a combined score of 12-5.
There are very few weaknesses on the Carolina squad, as the Canes enter the game in the top 10 of the league in goals per game (3.50, sixth), goals allowed per game (2.42, second), power play percentage (25.0, seventh) and penalty kill percentage (89.8, first). The Hurricanes are second in the league in goals at 5-on-5 and fourth in goals allowed, with a 127-86 advantage.
The Metropolitan Division leaders use a high-pressure system and mobile defensemen to make it hard on teams to get up the ice, and the team isn't afraid to throw pucks toward the net from any angle and take advantage of the chaos from there.
It also helps to have some pretty good players, and the Canes have those as well with seven players in double digits in scoring and five with 35 or more points. Sebastian Aho leads the way, as the Finn has continued to establish himself as one of the top offensive players in the game with a 22-31-53 line that places 16th in the league in points.
Andrei Svechnikov is just 21 years old but is another elite offensive option, as he has posted 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points. Teuvo Teravainen is having a bounce-back campaign with a 13-27-40 line, while Tony DeAngelo has proved to be a shrewd addition to a rebuilt blue line with nine goals and 31 assists for 40 points. Vincent Trocheck adds a 14-21-35 line, while Nino Niederretier (15 goals), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (11) and Jesper Fast (10) also are in double digits in goals.
Frederik Andersen is also in the midst of an impressive season in net, with the former Maple Leaf second in the league in goals saved above expected according to MoneyPuck.com. Overall, he's 27-7-2 in 36 games (35 starts) with a 2.12 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
