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Columbus Blue Jackets' offense roars again to down Chicago Blackhawks: 5 takeaways
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- Columbus Blue Jackets' offense roars again to down Chicago Blackhawks: 5 takeaways
Remember when the Blue Jackets couldn't score more than two goals per game?
More: Columbus Blue Jackets trade Jiricek to Minnesota Wild for depth defenseman, four picks
It wasn't that long ago, during a six-game winless skid to start November, but their scoring well is now overflowing with goals thanks to a balanced offensive attack. The latest to find out were the Chicago Blackhawks , whom the Blue Jackets roared past Sunday afternoon at United Center by a 6-3 score.
Six different goal-scorers. Two goals and seven points by defensemen. Four goals by the top two lines, including all three members of the top forward group — Sean Monahan , Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov — hitting the back of the net. Only three players on the roster haven't scored a goal yet, and the Blue Jackets' 83 goals are the most in franchise history through a season's first 23 games. They're still ironing out some defensive issues, but the Jackets are outscoring their deficiencies.
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Here are five takeaways from the Blue Jackets' latest high-scoring romp:
Dec 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Mathieu Olivier (24) and Chicago Blackhawks center Ryan Donato (8) go for the puck during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets ' explosive offense is fun to watch
The rest of the NHL will eventually realize the Blue Jackets aren't a tomato can. Until that happens, it's entertaining to watch an upstart NHL "nobody" filled with productive veterans and a surging young core of talented players riddle opposing goalies — many of whom are still backups sent out by unwitting coaches hoping to give their starters a rest against "lowly" Columbus.
Give Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson, a former Blue Jackets captain, credit for not making that mistake Sunday by starting Petr Mrazek . It just didn't matter. The rolling Jackets swarmed the 'Hawks, who are truly one of the league's worst teams.
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They made Mrazek's afternoon one to forget after quickly responding to Chicago goals with tallies of their own.
Dmitri Voronkov's goal, scored into an empty net with 1:26 remaining, made it the seventh time the Blue Jackets have scored at least six goals. That's one short of how many times they reached that number last season, and they've got 59 games remaining.
Dec 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro (15) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets defensemen play key role for surging offense
Zach Werenski is on a tear to start the season, adding two more assists Sunday to bump his point total up to 26 on eight goals and 18 assists. That's an average of 1.13 points per game, which ranks third in the NHL behind Colorado 's Cale Makar (1.28 ppg) and Vancouver 's Quinn Hughes (1.22 ppg).
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Werenski's +12 plus/minus is tied with Washington's John Carlson for highest among the league's top 10 scoring defensemen, and he didn't even land one of the NHL's "Three Stars of the Month" designations for November. Werenski makes up the bulk of the Blue Jackets' scoring from the back end, but he's not alone. Their 17 goals scored by defensemen tops the league and the Jackets added seven more points by blueliners in Chicago on two goals and five assists.
Ivan Provorov and Dante Fabbro scored the goals, while Damon Severson (three assists) and Werenski (two assists) contributed the helpers. None of the Jackets' bottom three defensemen — Jake Christiansen , Jordan Harris and Jack Johnson — have scored a goal yet.
That's not intended as a slam on them. It's a compliment to the Jackets' impressive scoring balance, including defensemen.
Dec 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) looks to pass against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets scuffling short-handed
So far, the Blue Jackets' penalty killing effort is a double-edged sword.
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On the one hand, they're second in the NHL with four short-handed goals. On the other, they went 0-for-3 against the Blackhawks on PKs and have now allowed at least one power-play goal in nine straight games. That's a ghastly statistic.
If the Blue Jackets want to stay in the playoff hunt deeper into the season than anybody expected, they've got to improve while short-handed.
Dec 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Kent Johnson is a dual-threat scorer for Columbus Blue Jackets
Some players are defined as either goal-scorers or playmakers. Kent Johnson is both, which makes him a dual-threat nightmare for opposing goalies to face.
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His goal Sunday against the Blackhawks was his 12thpoint in nine games, split equally between six goals and six assists. Johnson has added points in all nine games he's played, which are bookended around a 14-game stretch he missed while rehabbing a shoulder injury. Since returning, Johnson has scored 4-3-7 while showing off a highly accurate shot from distance.
His latest goal was netted with a beautiful one-timer from the right wing, a shot he anticipated once spotting Cole Sillinger send a low-to-high feed to Severson at the top of the circles. Johnson cocked his stick back, called for the puck and smoked it past Mrazek.
The goal has him on pace for a whopping 90 points (45 goals, 45 assists) in just 68 games if he plays the remainder of the season at this scoring clip. Who besides Johnson saw this level of breakout coming this soon?
Dec 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno (17) scores a goal on Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) during the third period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Chicago Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno becomes latest former Blue Jackets player to score against them
Nick Foligno, the Blue Jackets' former captain, pulled the Blackhawks within 4-3 on a 5-on-3 goal at 8:03 of the third period, making him the seventh former Columbus player to score against his former team this season.
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In all, former Blue Jackets have accounted for a scoring line of 7-1-8 in eight games that former Columbus stalwarts have played against their old team.
The one assist belonged to Oliver Bjorkstrand on Nov. 12 in a win for the Seattle Kraken , while the goals were scored by Jonathan Marchessault ( Nashville Predators ), Alexander Wennberg ( San Jose Sharks ), Vladislav Gavrikov ( Los Angeles Kings ), Josh Anderson ( Montreal Canadiens ), Cam Atkinson ( Tampa Bay Lightning ), Jack Roslovic ( Carolina Hurricanes ) and Foligno.
So, rule of thumb: expect former Blue Jackets to score goals whenever they face their former team.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets' win over Chicago Blackhawks
