Vegas Golden Knights hand Columbus Blue Jackets another humbling defeat: 3 takeaways

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Vegas Golden Knights hand Columbus Blue Jackets another humbling defeat: 3 takeaways

Mar 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Brendan Gaunce (16) grabs ahold of Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) as Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton (17) joins the play during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Brian Hedger, Columbus Dispatch · The Columbus Dispatch

Mon, Mar 25, 2024 ·

5 min read

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The injury-riddled Blue Jackets are good enough to swat at hornets' nests as they wrap up another frustrating season.

They're just not capable of escaping without being stung, which happened for the second time in as many nights Saturday with a 4-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Blue Jackets were dominated for the next 40 minutes.

More: Rantanen scores twice as Colorado Avalanche beat Columbus Blue Jackets 6-1

A 10-8 edge in shots starting the second vanished along with the lead after the Golden Knights (38-25-7) outshot the Jackets 22-3 in that period and 39-10 over the game's final 40 minutes to build a commanding 47-20 edge in shots and two-goal lead at the final horn.

"One thing I would say is the team looked tired," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "When the body gets tired, the brain shuts down and I saw a lot of mistakes. We were second on loose pucks. Protecting the middle of the ice in the D-zone, we're getting better at that but today, in the second period, we didn't take care of that."

Mar 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Daniil Tarasov 's 42-save performance in the Blue Jackets' net was the lone reason the final score wasn't more lopsided, and that was 24 hours after Elvis Merzlikins was deluged by 51 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche . It was a complete domination by two Stanley Cup contenders over a rebuilding team that's still saddled with seven key injuries.

"I don't know what to tell you," Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. "We had a good first and we all stopped playing after that, except for (Tarasov), but the rest of us stopped playing from the second on."

Here are three takeaways:

Mar 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Carson Meyer (72) skates ahead of Vegas Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev (49) during the first period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Columbus Blue Jackets struggling in second periods again

Since losing Sean Kuraly , Yegor Chinakhov and Adam Boqvist to injuries in back-to-back games earlier this month, the Blue Jackets have been dominated in second periods.

In five games since those three joined Adam Fantilli and Justin Danforth on the injury report, the Jackets have been outscored by a combined 11-2 and outshot 90-41 in second periods during their past five games. That includes being outscored 2-0 on a 22-7 shot deficit Friday in a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche and 2-0 on a 22-3 shot deficit Saturday in Las Vegas.

It's ugly and not getting much prettier.

Mar 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The only positive to come out of it is Tarasov's hot hand between the pipes to somehow keep the Blue Jackets within striking distance while being deluged with shots. That was the case again Saturday night in Vegas, where the talented 6-foot-5 backstop made numerous key saves while facing waves of scoring chances for the Golden Knights.

"That's two second periods in a row that ... to be honest, it's embarrassing," Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier said during a second-intermission interview on the Bally's Sports Columbus broadcast. "I don't know what the hell we're doing out there as a team ... everyone, including myself first. Not good enough. We've got to find a way here to string (together) some games and periods, because it's not good enough."

Mar 23, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save against Vegas Golden Knights left wing Pavel Dorofeyev (16) during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Gudbranson another goal for Columbus Blue Jackets, one short of tying career-high

Gudbranson's critics can't bring themselves to look beyond his defensive challenges juxtaposed against the veteran defenseman's age (32) and remaining two years on a contract that's worth $4 million a season.

Perhaps they should start.

Gudbranson's -11 plus/minus rating going into the game Saturday night in Las Vegas was on the wrong side of even, but it was 13 points better than his -24 last year. His offensive contributions have also improved remarkably, including a goal that put the Jackets up 1-0 lead early against the Golden Knights and pulled Gudbranson within a goal of tying his career-high six with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22.

That season led to the Blue Jackets signing him to a four-year contract worth $16 million in July 2022 as an unrestricted free agent. Gudbranson's first year in Columbus was rough thanks largely to a slew of injuries that forced the Jackets to play him higher in the defensive lineup than anticipated with mostly rookie defense partners. This season, he's contributing more than expected offensively while slotted into the third defense pairing.

Gudbranson has already set career-highs in assists (15), points (20), even-strength assists (14) and blocked shots (147) while chasing his best goal total. While those numbers aren't eye-popping for defensemen in a league that promotes offensive defensemen with elite scoring skills, they're solid for a third-pairing veteran skating 19:30 in ice time per game.

Injuries, illness continue giving Columbus Blue Jackets roster headaches

After rookie defenseman David Jiricek arrived Thursday from the Cleveland Monsters as an emergency recall, the Blue Jackets returned him to the AHL on Saturday.

They swapped Jiricek out for rookie forward James Malatesta because veteran defenseman Zach Werenski was able to play through a lower-body injury in Denver. Malatesta was needed in case forward Alex Nylander , who'd begun to feel sick, couldn't suit up. Neither Jiricek nor Malatesta played for the Blue Jackets during their emergency recalls, as both observed as healthy scratches.

That wouldn't have been as notable had it happened with the Blue Jackets in the middle of a homestand. Cleveland is only a two-hour drive away and there've been plenty of Blue Jackets prospects who've made the same trek. Instead, the Jackets are in the middle of a five-game road trip with stops in Detroit , Denver, Las Vegas, Arizona and Pittsburgh that makes travel logistics challenging.

Jiricek, for example, didn't make it back to Cleveland in time to compete for the Monsters' game Saturday night – missing two AHL games while sitting out with the Jackets on Friday too.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets routed by Vegas Golden Knights: 3 takeaways

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