As the NHL gets closer and closer to playoff time, the margin for error becomes ever thinner.
That’s especially true when you’re missing your top three scorers and both of your top-pair defensemen, as the Blue Jackets were Tuesday night in Buffalo. The Blue Jackets didn’t exactly play a bad game, but they made enough mistakes with the puck to fall into a two-goal hole before dropping a 3-2 decision to the Sabres.
“We made a couple of uncharacteristic plays for us as of late and brought some pucks back in the neutral zone and fed into their forecheck and consequently gave up a couple of goals,” head coach Dean Evason said. “But we played hard despite a couple of situations like that. Yeah, we pushed, we played hard. We gave ourselves an opportunity and just came up a little short.”
Of course, it’s natural to think what might have happened if the Blue Jackets had forward Kirill Marchenko and defensemen Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro, but all three were out of action after suffering injuries Sunday in Dallas.
Add in long-term injuries to captain Boone Jenner as well as Sean Monahan, Yegor Chinakhov and Erik Gudbranson, and the Blue Jackets were without seven regulars in the Nickel City. Still, the NHL stops for no one, and the personnel losses meant opportunity for other players to step up into expanded roles to show what they could bring to the table.
The Blue Jackets have said they can’t fall into the trap of feeling sorry for themselves and that they still possess what it takes to win games. The frustration came from making enough lapses that the Sabres were able to take advantage.
“I didn’t think we handled it our best,” Kent Johnson said. “I think we have to do better the next game for sure. Obviously, there’s no excuses. I think we are confident in the guys we have in the lineup, so we just have to be better. I think just executing out of our zone, getting out of our zone, being a bit more simple, direct, on the same page. I think we know the things.”
The Blue Jackets know they’ll be without some of those top players for a little bit longer, though the hope is Werenski will be able to return sooner rather than later. Defenseman Ivan Provorov wore an “A” in Werenski’s absence on Tuesday and said the team remains confident it can bounce back starting tonight vs. Utah.
“I think we’ve proven that all year long,” he said. “Nothing changes in the way we think about ourselves, about our team and our capability.”
Know The Foe: Utah Hockey Club
Head coach: Andre Tourigny (Fourth season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.77 (24th) | Scoring defense: 2.92 (14th) | PP: 21.8 percent (15th) | PK: 82.3 percent (5th)
The narrative: After years of trials and tribulations when it came to finding a feasible, long-term arena solution in Arizona, the then-Coyotes headed to Utah this offseason. Fans in Salt Lake City were rewarded with a young, entertaining team that appears to be on the cusp of success after making the playoffs just once in their last 12 seasons in the desert. The squad isn’t quite there yet, but the top eight scorers are all age 28 or younger, showing the talent is starting to fall into place.
Team leaders: Clayton Keller may be one of the most underrated players in the league, as the 26-year-old wing leads the squad in all three major statistical categories this season with a 18-39-57 line. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, Logan Cooley, is having a breakout season at age 20 with 15 goals and 43 points but recently landed on injured reserve with a lower body injury, while Nick Schmaltz has a 11-30-41 line. Another top draft pick, Dylan Guenther (ninth overall in 2021), is next on the team with 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points.
In net, Karel Vejmelka has been one of the top netminders in the league this season, going 12-14-4 while posting a 2.46 goals-against average (eighth in the league) and .910 save percentage on the season in 30 games.
What's new: Utah was hanging in there with a 16-11-5 record through Dec. 20, but the Club has just six wins in the last 21 games and sits six points out of a playoff spot going into tonight’s action. The recent injuries to such top players as Cooley and Guenther haven’t helped, and Utah still appears to be figuring out how to learn to win – their nine overtime losses are tied for second most in the NHL, as are their seven setbacks when leading after two periods.
Trending: Columbus posted a 3-2 overtime win in Utah on Friday in the first-ever matchup between the franchises. When the team was in Arizona, the Coyotes had won four straight games the past two seasons.
Former CBJ: Defenseman Ian Cole has posted a 1-12-13 line this season while playing for his ninth NHL team, while center Kevin Stenlund has held down the fourth line while chipping in seven goals among his 13 points.
