The wheels are off.
After a season filled with close calls and gut-wrenching lost leads in third periods , the Blue Jackets are stumbling to the finish line looking every bit like a team missing eight lineup regulars.
Despite scoring first for the fourth straight game, all road games, the Jackets are now winless in their last five after the Arizona Coyotes outscored them 4-0 in the third period of a 6-2 loss late Tuesday at Arizona State's Mullett Arena.
The Coyotes broke open a 2-2 game in the third with goals by rookie Josh Doan , Nick Bjugstad , Nick Schmaltz and Dylan Guenther that turned a close game into a rout. Elvis Merzlikins allowed all six goals in the Blue Jackets' net but was excellent in the first period and made 21 saves on 23 shots through two.
The Blue Jackets (23-37-12) cracked in the third, falling behind 3-2 with 8:28 left on Doan's second goal of the night — also second of his NHL career ― before allowing another one to Bjugstad a little more than three minutes later. That was all the Coyotes (30-37-5) needed, but they managed to tack two more shorthanded tallies onto the final score in the final four minutes.
"It sucks," Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski said. "It's the same story, different game. That's how it's been for us lately. I don't really have much to say."
Werenski and captain Boone Jenner finished with two points each on a goal and assist. Johnny Gaudreau assisted on each of their goals to complete the scoring for Columbus , which dropped to 2-6-2 in its past 10 games and 0-3-1 on a brutal road trip that concludes Thursday in Pittsburgh .
Here are three takeaways:
The only difference between the Jackets' plight and what they experienced last season is the number of games remaining.
They've only got 10 left on the schedule and there might not be a victory among them while facing six more games against tough Metropolitan Division opponents plus daunting matchups against the Colorado Avalanche , Tampa Bay Lightning , Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators .
The Blue Jackets aren't using an injury glut as an excuse, but almost half of the lineup they deployed Tuesday against the Arizona Coyotes was filled by AHL replacements.
Alex Nylander 's absence in Arizona with an upper-body injury expanded the Jackets' injury report to eight players, including Patrik Laine (NHLPA player assistance), Adam Fantilli (calf laceration), Kent Johnson (torn shoulder labrum), Justin Danforth (concussion), Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Sean Kuraly (lower body) and Adam Boqvist (upper body).
The Blue Jackets also traded top-six forward Jack Roslovic and depth defenseman Andrew Peeke before the NHL trade deadline arrived March 8. That's a ton of NHL talent gone and it's becoming obvious just by games.
It's taken most of the season, but Werenski is finally starting to look like himself inside the offensive blue line. While he's had a great season piling up assists, Werenski's goal-scoring ability was mysteriously missing until recently.
His tying goal Tuesday that made it 2-2 in Arizona was his first on a power play in more than two years, which is partly because he missed all but 13 games last year with shoulder injury and hadn't potted a power-play marker in his first 59 games this season. The goal was Werenski's second point in the game and sixth goal of the season, bringing his scoring total for the season to six goals, 40 assists and 46 points in 60 games.
That's second only to Gaudreau's 11-43-54 stat line that leads the team in scoring, which is exactly what the Jackets need from Werenski in the next few years. His -3 plus/minus rating against the Coyotes dropped Werenski's season total from +1 to -2, but his game is finally rounding back into top form after returning from a frustrating shoulder injury that left a lot of rust to shake off.
If you're looking for bright spots from another humbling defeat for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday in Arizona, Werenski was one of them. He, however, wasn't in the mood for bright spots afterward.
"It wasn't good enough and it's been that way for three (blowout losses) now," Werenski said. "I've just got no words for it."
Another Blue Jackets rookie got his first taste of the NHL on Tuesday night in Tempe, Arizona, and forward James Malatesta capitalized on the opportunity. He didn't record a point offensively, but Malatesta's biggest tool is his fearlessness in throwing body checks, tenacity in puck battles and ability to drive opposing players nuts.
He's quite a disturber when he puts his mind to it, which was the case against the Coyotes with his mom, Linda, and sister, Julia, watching from the stands. Malatesta, who's up on emergency recalls, led all players with eight hits and put one shot on goal in his 11:43 over 15 shifts.
He also got into a fight after Coyotes forward Michael Carcone slashed the stick out of his hands with 1:21 left in the third. Grit and energy are what Malatesta primarily aims to add in Columbus, and that's what he did.
"We wanted to get in on the forecheck," Malatesta said of his line. "I think a pretty big identity of this team is having a hard forecheck. First guy, you want to finish your guy and separate him from the puck. That was definitely something I was looking to do tonight."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets drop fifth straight in loss to Coyotes: 3 takeaways
