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Columbus Blue Jackets show resilience in Winnipeg: 5 takeaways
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- Columbus Blue Jackets show resilience in Winnipeg: 5 takeaways
One of the biggest differences between this season's Blue Jackets and recent iterations is resilience.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets surge past Winnipeg Jets to cap tough road trip with a boost
This version has already faced a lot of adversity, but the Jackets are keeping up with a group of Eastern Conference teams all chasing a wild card spot.
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Most NHL analysts don't seem to consider Columbus a contender to stay in that chase, but the Jackets are 27 games into the season, past the quarter mark, and they've shown no signs of caving . In fact, their latest pushback might have been their most impressive.
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) and Winnipeg Jets center Morgan Barron (36) chase down the puck in front of Winnipeg Jets goaltender Eric Comrie (1) in the first period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Facing a team that had won the previous three head-to-head meetings by a combined 17-3 margin, the Blue Jackets concluded a challenging five-game road trip Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets to snap a three-game losing streak. They hadn't won in Winnipeg since Dec. 2, 2022, roughly two full calendar years.
The Blue Jackets are officially resilient now, and they're hanging in there against some of the NHL's top competition. Here are five takeaways from the Jackets' latest stand:
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) celebrates his third period goal against the Winnipeg Jets with team mate Columbus Blue Jackets center Sean Monahan (23) at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Kent Johnson , Sean Monahan , James Van Riemsdyk clicking for Columbus Blue Jackets
The first hockey move Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell made after the death of Johnny Gaudreau was signing James van Riemsdyk. While the 35-year old veteran hasn't secured a regular lineup spot, he has developed a bond quickly with the Blue Jackets' young forwards.
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Since he arrived just before training camp, Van Riemsdyk hung out with Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli , Cole Sillinger and Jake Christiansen , who have enjoyed picking his brain about playing with Toronto Maple Leafs stars Auston Matthews , Mitch Marner and William Nylander as they cut their NHL teeth.
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets players celebrate their victory against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
It didn't take long for Van Riemsdyk to realize the Blue Jackets have their own core of young stars, and now he's skating with one of them − Johnson, on Sean Monahan's top line. It's a sample size of just two games, but Van Riemsdyk, Monahan and Johnson have dominated since joining forces.
Johnson scored two goals in the victory over the Jets, both assisted by Van Riemsdyk, and the underlying statistics for that line's past two games are striking. According to Natural Stat Trick, in 19:37 of 5-on-5, the Blue Jackets have compiled large edges in attempts (34-14), unblocked attempts (24-9), shots (15-7) and scoring chances (19-6). Van Riemsdyk's speed has taken a hit since his prime years, but in the past two games he's been fantastic with Johnson and Monahan.
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It might not last long term, but the Blue Jackets' coaching staff might have just gained two more skilled wingers who can successfully play with Monahan.
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets center Kent Johnson (91) celebrates his third period goal with defenseman Ivan Provorov (9) and center Sean Monahan (23) against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets' Ivan Provorov guts it out against Winnipeg Jets
Hockey players often deal with pain to stay in the lineup, but Blue Jackets defenseman Ivan Provorov is dealing with an extreme case. After leaving the game Friday in Vancouver with a thumb injury, the defenseman logged 23:07 on 25 shifts Sunday in Winnipeg.
He assisted on Johnson's second goal and didn't appear to be limited much. Toughing out an injury is nothing out of the ordinary for Provorov, who has missed only three games in his NHL career due to COVID-19 protocols. His appearance Sunday was his 641stout of 644 games he could have played.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger (4) skates at Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak (81) during the first period of the NHL hockey game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
Cole Sillinger injury would be huge loss for Columbus Blue Jackets
Near the end of the second period, Sillinger braced for Colin Miller 's slapshot from the right point in the Columbus zone. The puck appeared to strike one of his skates, which immediately hobbled him.
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Sillinger tried getting in front of another shot a couple moments later before limping off to the bench. He came back for the start of the third period, skated two shifts and left the game with an undisclosed lower-body injury. Should it keep Sillinger out for more than a game or two, it will become a big void up front for the Blue Jackets.
Sillinger is the fourth-leading scorer on the team with 18 points on four goals and 14 assists, and his recent move back to center of the third line showed strong returns while skating with Zach Aston-Reese and Mathieu Olivier . Look for Justin Danforth to fill Sillinger's role on that line if needed, while Sean Kuraly likely moves back to center from left wing on the fourth line.
The Blue Jackets won't practice Monday, so the next official update on Sillinger's availability may wait until Tuesday's morning skate before hosting the Philadelphia Flyers .
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets center Gabriel Vilardi (13) shoots on Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) in the second period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Elvis Merzlikins rebounds from costly turnover against Vancouver Canucks
After an aggressive decision to play the puck far from his net backfired Friday in the Jackets' loss to the Vancouver Canucks, Elvis Merzlikins rebounded impressively against the Jets.
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He stopped 24 of 25 shots, including several from high-danger areas, and outdueled Winnipeg goalie Eric Comrie – who was 3-0-0 in three appearances against the Blue Jackets prior to the game. The only goal he allowed was off a great shot by Kyle Connor to cap a power play in the second period.
"I'm definitely not happy about the (Vancouver) game," Merzlikins said. "It was my mistake over there. It's going to happen and it's still going to (happen). I'm (an) aggressive goalie and I'm always going to play the puck, but I (made) a mistake there, and then a couple bounces (went) in, and I felt awful that game. Here, I had to change, and this win was really important."
Dec 8, 2024; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Winnipeg Jets left wing Kyle Connor (81) celebrates his second period goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets paying steep price for increase in penalties
Connor's goal extended the Blue Jackets' string of games allowing an opponent to score on a power play to 13 in a row. While that's a hideous number to be saddled with, it should also be consumed with a serving of context.
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The goal Sunday was on Winnipeg's fourth power play, after the Blue Jackets killed the first three. Their success in those short-handed situations is something the Blue Jackets hope to foster, but they could also stand to take fewer penalties. They're currently the NHL's 10th-most penalized team at 9:26 minutes served per game in the penalty box, which is surprising given the Blue Jackets' ability to avoid penalties in recent years.
Columbus has averaged 7:57 per game over the past three years combined (2021-2024) while being one of the league's least penalized teams. They're significantly more aggressive under Evason's watch, but they've got to lessen trips to the penalty box for the sake of their struggling PK units.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets show resilience in Winnipeg: 5 takeaways
