It was Columbus' fifth regulation loss in eight games since the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25, when expectations skyrocketed because general manager Jarmo Kekalainen chose risky over safe by acquiring pending unrestricted free agent forwards Duchene and Ryan Dzingel instead of a trading a pair of pending UFAs, forward Artemi Panarin and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Blue Jackets are supposed to be peaking and winning, running away with a playoff spot, not lamenting the three shots that rang off the post against the Islanders, two from right wing Cam Atkinson, or the 15 shots that missed the net entirely, a handful from inside the dots.
"I don't know, I've got nothing for you, man," Duchene said when asked why the Blue Jackets can't finish. "We're doing everything but finishing. I think there's times where on the rush we could probably create a little bit more. I think we're maybe a little tight sometimes with the puck instead of maybe making a play and taking a chance to create something, but our O-zone game is outstanding. I can't put a finger on it."
They don't have much time to figure it out.
The Boston Bruins, who had their 19-game point streak end against the Penguins on Sunday, arrived in Columbus on Monday to prepare to play the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FS-O, NESN, NHL.TV).
The Blue Jackets play at home against the Hurricanes on Friday before facing the Bruins again Saturday in Boston.
That's two home-road back-to-back sets this week with the Bruins on the back end of both, making this week about as close to being a make-or-break week for the Blue Jackets without actually being one.
They can't clinch a playoff berth or be eliminated, but they can't play any more pointless games or they'll be on the outside of the race when they head to Western Canada next week for games against the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
"We've just got to pretend that [Tuesday] is almost a continuation of this game and this game is not over," Duchene said. "Just keep doing what we were doing tonight."
That's not a terrible thing for them to hang their proverbial hat on.
Moral victories are fool's gold in the NHL, but at least the Blue Jackets have a sense that what they're doing to generate scoring chances is working, and that at least lately it's a finishing problem that can go away with a timely goal against the Bruins on Tuesday.
"We're finding our game," Jones said. "The main thing is we're just being competitive, being hard on every single puck. Every 50-50 battle we're in it. We're getting our nose over it and playing dirty, playing just a hard-nosed, straight ahead game."
They have proof that that effort can work, such as their 4-1 win against the Penguins at Nationwide Arena on Saturday. There was even some evidence of the good in a 3-0 loss against the Penguins on Thursday.
Columbus coach John Tortorella felt the Blue Jackets controlled the puck and the pace in that game. Many felt it led to their win Saturday.
"I think that's three really strong games in a row," Duchene said. "It's unfortunate we're only 1-2."
It's reality, but the Blue Jackets have time to change the narrative.
More efforts like the one they gave against the Islanders should, at least in theory, get them there.
All they have to do now is, well, score.
"We're happy with our effort, we're not happy with the result," Duchene said. "Until we get the result, it's an empty feeling."
