The Blue Jackets stumbled out of the gate in 2024.
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Despite playing the Boston Bruins even in shots (27-27), the Jackets lost 4-1 in front of 18,262 Tuesday night at sold-out Nationwide Arena. Kent Johnson scored the lone goal for Columbus and Spencer Martin started in net , allowing four goals on 27 shots.
Kevin Shattenkirk , James van Riemsdyk , Danton Heinen and Trent Frederic scored for the Bruins (22-8-6), who got 26 saves from Linus Ullmark in the victory.
"It's a team that has 22 wins," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said of the Bruins. "We're aspiring to be a team like this eventually. ... It's nothing flashy. It's just 1-on-1, simple plays. Every mistake you make, they're going to make you pay (and) they don't force things with the puck. So, it was a real good teaching game for us on how to play (and) where we want to be."
Here are five takeaways:
This was the kind of game where the Blue Jackets' key injury absences were painfully obvious.
Boone Jenner, Zach Werenski and Sean Kuraly watched from the press box as the Bruins ground the Jackets into a fine pulp, eventually building a multiple-goal lead during a choppy game that didn't flow smoothly either direction.
It was a classic example of Bruins hockey in that it wasn't pretty and still effective enough to stymie the Blue Jackets. It's what good NHL teams can do to grind out wins whenever they aren't able to play at top gear
"You'll see younger teams forcing plays at the wrong time, and they don't," Vincent said. "They just don't. When they're in trouble in their (defensive) zone, they just get it out, get it out, get it out. Young teams will get it out, but it's going to be an icing. It's going to be a forced play, a turnover. (The Bruins) just do it the right way. There are so many teaching moments that we can use, and we've been studying different teams, Vegas and Boston, in the summer. That's where we're aspiring to be in the near future."
The Bruins now have 52 points and 22 wins in their first 37 games thanks to decades of success that has rooted a winning culture and style of play in Boston.
They don't play a flashy game, don't make many mistakes and, thus, do win a lot of games no matter how often the veterans on their roster turn over. The Bruins are still cranking out wins despite losing star captain Patrice Bergeron and veteran center David Krejci to retirement last summer, after both played key roles in Boston setting an NHL record with 135 points.
The Bruins just kept on rolling regardless, which the young Blue Jackets learned the hard way Tuesday night. Boston played the most patient game, stuck to its system and pounced whenever the Jackets made mistakes, including a turnover by rookie defenseman David Jiricek that led to Heinen's goal at 7:29 of the third period.
Heinen made it 3-1 by scoring off the rebound of a shot by van Riemsdyk, who finished the night with three points on a goal and two assists. On Heinen's goal, Jiricek sent a blind backhand pass from below the goal line straight to van Riemsdyk in the right circle.
"When I say, 'forcing plays,' if he's open, make that play all day long," Vincent said. "We're going to teach the reads, but 'hope' plays, like the third goal against ... we just hope that play's going to connect. These are the problems. It's fairly simple to teach, but to do it under pressure, it takes time and you've got to make mistakes in order to understand."
Vincent also has another term for those plays.
"I call it the 'secret' plays," he said. "Only you know what you're doing. Nobody else. That's not a good recipe."
Spencer Martin made his first start for the Blue Jackets since taking the road loss Dec. 7 against the New York Islanders . He was tagged for all seven goals in that 7-3 loss, but that wasn't the biggest reason Martin was placed on the shelf.
His long down period had more to do with Daniil Tarasov joining Martin and Elvis Merzlikins following his return from a knee injury that kept him out of the entire preseason slate and first 31 games. Martin, claimed off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks in the preseason, was placed on the back burner to get Tarasov back up to speed as much as possible mid-season.
Prior to facing Boston, Martin was scratched in seven of the previous 10 games and handled the backup role three times. That included a win in relief against the Toronto Maple Leafs after Merzlikins left that start in the first intermission with an illness.
Before that game, he hadn't played a single minute of live action in nine games and did enough to earn the win with 16 saves on 19 shots.
"Once you have a routine of being prepared every day, it becomes easier," Martin said. "I think the more challenging part was that I hadn't played in a while."
Facing the high-octane Maple Leafs was also a tall order, but he was sharp despite entering the game cold.
"I actually felt pretty good right away," Martin said. "When you get in those situations where you haven't played in a while, you focus on our structure and go off there, but the thing I was happiest with was just, 'Next page.' Just keep going … and our team did that too."
Figuring out the next page of Martin's career could be more difficult. The Blue Jackets aren't the only team carrying three goalies on their NHL roster, but that's still considered an unorthodox choice for a couple reasons.
It takes up a roster spot that could be filled by an extra forward or defenseman and it creates a rotation between the goalies that can affect all three negatively. Martin has received the smallest share of action, but Merzlikins and Tarasov are also dealing with inconsistent time in net – including Merzlikins handling the backup role against Boston and Tarasov sitting as a healthy scratch.
"I'm obviously looking to earn more opportunity every day and be part of this team," Martin said. "Some of the business side of things I leave to my agent and the team to figure out, but I want to be a part of this team. It's an incredible group of people. Hopefully I get back to earning some starts now."
Adam Fantilli made a strong bid to become the NHL's player of the month with a December to remember for the Blue Jackets. He tallied seven goals, six assists and 13 points in 14 games, including a huge tying goal in a 6-5 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last week at Nationwide Arena.
Fantill's numbers were considered by the NHL for the monthly honor, but it went to Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard and his 5-10-15 in 15 games. Bedard was the top choice in last summer's draft and the Blue Jackets selected Fantilli two picks later.
Jenner's extended absence opened an opportunity for Fantilli to center the top line in December and he's taking advantage of it. Skating between star left wing Johnny Gaudreau and Justin Danforth , Fantilli has progressively made his presence felt in nearly all facets. It was a tough night for that line Tuesday, each guy taking a -3 in plus/minus, but overall it's been a productive combination with Fantilli at the helm.
The Bruins have two former Buckeyes on their NHL roster after the recent addition of forward Georgii Merkulov, who joined defenseman Mason Lohrei in Boston.
Merkulov centered the Bruins' fourth line and Lohrei skated with Charlie McAvoy on the top defense pairing. Lohrei also lost a tooth during the game, which was recovered and returned by the ice crew clearing snow during a stoppage.
Otherwise, it was an enjoyable return trip for both to visit with their former Buckeyes teammates. The Ohio State men's hockey team extended the visit by attending the game.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Boston Bruins give Columbus Blue Jackets a lesson in grit: 5 takeaways
