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Columbus Blue Jackets steamrolled by Edmonton Oilers: 3 takeaways
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- Columbus Blue Jackets steamrolled by Edmonton Oilers: 3 takeaways
Chalk up another frustrating road loss for the Blue Jackets .
More: Columbus Blue Jackets' road woes continue with 6-3 loss to Edmonton Oilers
After dropping their second straight game late Thursday in Edmonton, a 6-3 shellacking from the Edmonton Oilers , the Blue Jackets are just 3-8-2 in road games this season and must win Friday in Vancouver or Sunday in Winnipeg to avoid returning from a five-game road trip on a four-game losing streak.
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Here are three takeaways:
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal scored by forward Leon Draisaitl (29) during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason takes issue with failed video review that sparked Edmonton Oilers ' onslaught
Dean Evason has mostly pushed the right coaching buttons during his first season running the Blue Jackets' bench, but a decision early in the second period to challenge the Oilers' second goal for goaltender interference backfired.
Leon Draisaitl scored it with a backhand at 2:22 that beat goalie Daniil Tarasov inside the right post, but the Blue Jackets' video staff spotted the crown of the goalie's mask brush Oilers forward Zach Hyman inside the crease. If you ever want to spark a heated debate about NHL rules, just mention the words "goaltender interference."
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Unlike offside, which has a fairly clear definition, determining goaltender interference in the NHL is a bit like arguing over an abstract work of art.
"It's a boat. There's the oar right there!"
"No, that's not a boat or an oar. That's a giant piece of toast and that 'oar' is a butter knife!"
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid (97) and Columbus Blue Jackets defensemen Ivan Provorov (9) battle for a loose puck during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Debates over goaltender interference can last hours. Luckily for those who stayed up to watch the Oilers' drubbing of the Blue Jackets, officials decided this one in short order. According to their interpretation, it wasn't a boat, a piece of toast or goaltender interference.
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Draisaitl's goal was upheld, which also gave Edmonton a power play for delay-of-game. Mattias Ekholm capped it to give the Oilers a 3-1 cushion, which was too much of a momentum swing. Evason labeled it the game's biggest unraveling point, and was still hot afterward.
"The big moment in the game was the goalie challenge," he told reporters at Rogers Place. "It was a 1-1 hockey game, and by the end of the whole sequence, it's 3-1. We were trying to get an explanation because our view is different from what (officials) said they've seen."
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (29) carries the puck around Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (4) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
An overhead angle on FanDuel Sports Network showed Tarasov's head contact Hyman's backside just as Draisaitl pulls the puck to his backhand. Contact was minimal, and even Blue Jackets TV analyst Jody Shelley said it looked like Tarasov initiated it. Hyman, however, isn't supposed to be in the blue paint. So, the ruling was left to the discretion of the on-ice officials, who looked at it using an iPad.
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"Honestly, I don't blame the refs because they're looking on a little iPad," Evason said. "When I came in (the locker room), our guys were adamant that (Tarasov) got hit in the head and that he couldn't move his stick. (Hyman) went freely into the crease a foot and a half. He can't get over to make that save."
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; The Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal scored by forward Leon Draisaitl (29) during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Evason said the reason he issued the review was because his coaching staff was certain it was goaltender interference.
"(The officials) said that both them and (the NHL situation room in Toronto ) did not see (Hyman) hit his head," Evason said. "We're trying to get an explanation right now, because if they can't see that, they're getting a different angle than we have ... and then we've got a serious problem. We were 100% that was goalie interference. It's a big moment in the game. It was a 1-1 game. Now, it's 3-1 when the whole sequence ends."
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It was a massive backfire. Tarasov, who hadn't played in almost three full weeks, had to immediately face a power play with McDavid , Draisaitl and other threats. Combined with the Blue Jackets' struggling penalty-kill units allowing goals in 10 straight games, it felt like a certainty the Oilers would do exactly what they did by extending the streak to 11 games.
Edmonton used the two-goal boost to unleash a four-goal period that essentially decided the game. The ill-fated coach's challenge ignited the fuse.
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) makes a save on on Edmonton Oilers forward Zach Hyman (18) during the third period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov taking his lumps
Tarasov hadn't played since Nov. 16 in Montreal , where he'd allowed five goals in a loss to the Canadiens . That's a lot of time to iron out kinks in practices, and a long time to develop rust.
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Tarasov's reward for giving Merzlikins a night off was to face the high-flying Oilers and a star-studded lineup topped by McDavid and Draisaitl. Hyman was also a 50-goal scorer last season, and all three tormented Tarasov with multiple goals, assists and points.
The biggest thing working in the goalie's favor was his impressive performance against Edmonton last season in a 4-2 victory March 7 at Nationwide Arena. Otherwise, it was tough matchup. Tarasov has now allowed 21 goals combined in his past four outings. Merzlikins is expected to start Friday in Vancouver to conclude another difficult back-to-back.
Nov 23, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets forward Justin Danforth (17) tries to protect the puck from Edmonton Oilers defensemen Mattias Ekholm (14) during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Columbus Blue Jackets aren't deep enough to consistently win road games
More than a quarter of the way into the season, one thing has become clear about these Blue Jackets.
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They struggle, mightily, away from Nationwide Arena. There are multiple reasons, but the biggest appears to be the road forward and defensive pairing matchups that favor opposing coaches who get to make the last change during stoppages on home ice. This often leads to bad matchups for the road team on faceoffs and struggles for the Blue Jackets winning those draws because of it.
That's where captain Boone Jenner is missed most while he recovers from shoulder surgery. It also didn't help Thursday that skilled forward Yegor Chinakhov missed his fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. The issue of matchups isn't nearly as big of a problem for the young Blue Jackets at home, where Evason gets to make the second line change.
As the Jackets' young forwards continue to mature into consistent NHL impact talents, the home/road thing should diminish.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 3 takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets' 6-3 loss to Edmonton Oilers
