Close just isn't cutting it.
The Blue Jackets are inches away from a much better record, but inches, seconds and key mistakes have all conspired against them for seven straight winless games .
The seventh was Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, where the Arizona Coyotes pounced on a couple costly Blue Jackets mistakes to turn a 1-1 game in the third period into a 3-2 victory that took the air out of Columbus once again.
"It's really frustrating," rookie center Adam Fantilli said. "I thought tonight was the night. We were doing really well. They got two quick ones. I thought we pushed back really well. We struck together. We stuck to our systems. We did a really good job that way, but we couldn't close it out and that's all that really matters."
Coyotes rookie Logan Cooley and power forward Lawson Crouse scored goals 28 seconds apart midway through the third to give Arizona a 3-1 lead that stood up. Damon Severson scored the second of his two goals in the game with 1:57 left while on a 6-on-5 advantage with the Blue Jackets' net empty.
They just couldn't pull even and dropped to 4-9-4 overall, 0-5-2 during the losing streak.
Connor Ingram (6-1-0) made 39 saves to earn the win in net for the Coyotes (8-6-2), who've won two of their past three games. Elvis Merzlikins (29 saves) took the loss.
"I feek for our players right now," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "They're working hard. I mean, they do so many good things that we forget after because of those little mistakes, and the first thing that you know, the puck is in the back of our net."
A pair of turnovers by Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson led to the Coyotes taking a 3-1 lead on back-to-back goals in the third. The first one happened in the neutral zone, allowing Arizona to bring the puck back into the Columbus zone for a rush that led to rookie David Jiricek 's tripping penalty.
Cooley capped the ensuing power play 11 seconds into it for a 2-1 lead. On the next shift, Gudbranson couldn't corral the puck behind the net and Arizona's Nick Bjugstad scooped it for a quick pass to Crouse in the slot. The Coyotes led 3-1 after his one-timer beat Merzlikins under the crossbar.
"I feel for (my players), because they work hard," Vincent said. "They really do, and they're all in, and they want to do the right things. It's just right now it's just that … when they scored that goal (by Cooley), we're a little bit fragile, and now we're questioning. But we don't need to."
The Blue Jackets had a golden opportunity to tie it with 1:35 left on what could've been a second 6-on-5 goal, but Arizona defenseman Sean Durzi slid over in the nick of time to block Kirill Marchenko 's wrist shot from the inner half of the left circle. The puck deflected into the safety netting rather than ripping into the back of a w ide open net.
First star
Connor Ingram, Coyotes, goalie
Improved to 3-0-0 against Columbus all-time with 39 saves in a strong effort between the pipes.
Second star
Lawson Crouse, Coyotes, right wing
Buried a one-timer to put the Coyotes up 3-1 in the third. He finished with five shots while playing a power game up front.
Third star
Damon Severson , Blue Jackets, defenseman
Scored both of the Blue Jackets' goals, skated 20:33 on 22 shifts and formed the second defensive pairing with Ivan Provorov .
― Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner played his 674th NHL game, which tied Rick Nash for most played with the team in franchise history. He's poised to set the record Saturday in Washington. Jenner was drafted by Columbus 37th overall in the second round of the 2011 NHL draft and had career totals of 177 goals, 161 assists and 338 points going into the game. He ranks third all-time in franchise history in goals and assists.
"It's quite an achievement," Vincent said. "Boone is consistent. "He's a good player, obviously, and he's playing hard minutes. He's a real good pro, all the way around. He's a guy that we rely on. He's a driver and a great captain, and it's a good achievement for him. We're really proud of him."
― Trey Fix-Wolansky was recalled from the AHL on Thursday and skated 12:32 at right wing on the second line with Cole Sillinger and captain Boone Jenner . Fix-Wolansky, 24, led the Cleveland Monsters in scoring with four goals, 12 assists and 16 points in 11 games. His offensive prowess hasn't translated to the NHL during previous call-ups , but Vincent has seen other players go through a similar learning curve on their way to NHL success.
"He's going to be given an opportunity, but in order to be called up here, you need to get the job done in the American league, and he's been doing that," Vincent said. "He's been one of their best players since the beginning of the season. … He's got lots of energy, he's strong on the puck (and) he can skate. So, he's going to be given a good look here and he deserves it."
— Emil Bemstrom cleared waivers and was reassigned to AHL Cleveland to take Fix-Wolansky's spot. After getting off to a solid start with three goals in the first six games, the enigmatic forward went silent over the past couple weeks with the Blue Jackets.
— The Blue Jackets' streak of not allowing a power play goal ended at nine straight game, which was tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history. Cooley's goal snapped the streak. The Jackets killed off one of two Coyotes power plays and dropped to fourth in the NHL in penalty killing at 87.8% (43 of 49).
— The Blue Jackets held their annual "Hockey Fights Cancer" night. Fans were encouraged to wear lavender, which is the official color of the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, and the first 10,000 fans who entered Nationwide Arena received a Hockey Fights Cancer Johnny Gaudreau bobblehead, in which the star left wing is wearing a lavender uniform.
Blue Jackets players used to wear lavender warmup jerseys in previous years, but the NHL did away with specialized warmup attire after a small group of players, including Provorov as a Philadelphia Flyer , refused to wear "Pride" themed jerseys last season during the league's Hockey Is For Everyone initiative.
Forwards
Dmitri Voronkov – Adam Fantilli – Kirill Marchenko
Cole Sillinger – Boone Jenner – Trey Fix-Wolansky
Johnny Gaudreau – Patrik Laine – Yegor Chinakhov
Alexandre Texier – Sean Kuraly – Justin Danforth
Defensemen
Zach Werenski – Erik Gudbranson
Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson
Jake Bean – David Jiricek
Goalies
Scratched:F Mathieu Olivier , D Adam Boqvist , D Andrew Peeke
Injured reserve:F Jack Roslovic (ankle)
Injured/non-roster:G Daniil Tarasov (knee)
Another road back-to-back awaits the Blue Jackets this weekend with games Saturday against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports) and Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells-Fargo Center (5:30 p.m., Bally Sports).
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets fall to Arizona Coyotes, drop seventh straight
