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Columbus Blue Jackets takeaways: Top line, power play shine in rout over Boston Bruins
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- Columbus Blue Jackets takeaways: Top line, power play shine in rout over Boston Bruins
The Blue Jackets saved one of their best games for the largest home crowd of the season Friday at Nationwide Arena.
More: Columbus Blue Jackets 2024 in review: heartbreak, turbulence and progress
A standing-room-only crowd of 18,821 included a sizable number of Boston Bruins jerseys, but the Blue Jackets didn't give them much to cheer during a 6-2 romp returning from the NHL's holiday break .
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Scoring four goals in the second period, the Jackets (15-15-6) busted open a tight game against the Bruins (19-14-4) and now have a chance to sweep a back-to-back set Saturday at TD Garden in Boston. Nobody outside of the Blue Jackets forecast them as a playoff contender this far into the season, but they're hanging around.
"We're only (two) points back of a wild card spot," defenseman Zach Werenski said. "We've even let some games slip away, so it could be a lot better. Now, it's on us to go on the road and win some hockey games, because we're doing it at home. We're right in it and it's a fun spot to be for sure."
Here are four takeaways from the Blue Jackets' rout of the Bruins:
Columbus Blue Jackets capitalize on Boston Bruins ' travel challenges
The NHL does this every season after its mandated holiday break as part of a collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players' Association. Road teams aren't allowed to travel on Dec. 26, so they schedule early flights the day of the game if scheduled to play Dec. 27.
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The Bruins left at 7:30 a.m. Friday, had a morning skate at Nationwide Arena, returned to their hotel for naps and headed back to the arena for the game.
They looked like an exhausted team after the first 20 minutes, watching the Jackets take control with four goals in the second period. The second period has become a source of frustration for the Blue Jackets, but it wasn't against the Bruins. Their play in the middle frame was exactly how a young team needs to capitalize on NHL scheduling quirks that lean heavily in their favor.
Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Kirill Marchenko (86) skates with the puck against the Boston Bruins in the first period at Nationwide Arena on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets have game-changing forwards in Kirill Marchenko , Dmitri Voronkov
Teams undergoing rebuilds need talented young players to start "popping" into impact players, which is how Blue Jackets senior advisor John Davidson defined it last season.
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That's now happening with multiple players for the Blue Jackets, led by Kirill Marchenko and Dmitri Voronkov. Flanking center Sean Monahan on the top line, the Russian wingers are starting to regularly draw the attention of opposing coaches and players.
Marchenko's goal and two assists for three points against the Bruins extended his career-long point streak to seven games, while Voronkov's two goals, one assist and three points pushed his point streak to six in a row, which matched his career-long set earlier this season.
Marchenko, who leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 14-26-40 in 36 games, has added 4-9-13 during his streak. Voronkov has added 5-5-10 during his heater to lift his season totals to 12-10-22 in just 27 games. Monahan, meanwhile, scored two goals in the 800th game of his NHL career to bring his season scoring line to 13-20-33 with a +15 plus/minus as their primary center.
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Dmitri Voronkov (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the second period at Nationwide Arena on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Dmitri Voronkov shows off skill against Boston Bruins
Voronkov's size at 6 feet 5 and 227 pounds is what usually gets noticed first by those who aren't familiar with him. He's still working on using that size and strength while forechecking, but Voronkov's skill level is high.
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His pass to spring Adam Fantilli on a breakaway that made it 2-1 in the second was the result of impressive hands to slip the puck past a defender, while Voronkov's first of two power-play goals in that period was a "Goal of the Year" candidate. Standing in front of former Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo , he received a pass from Kent Johnson and quickly flipped the puck with a backhand in tight space under the crossbar for a 4-1 lead.
"(He's) not the fastest guy, but I think just the way his brain works making plays ... it allows him to have a lot of success," Werenski said. "You saw his skill on that goal. That's a tough goal. I mean, not many guys can do that."
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski (8) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the second period at Nationwide Arena on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets power play has become a threat
The Blue Jackets went 3 for 3 on power plays, which was their first game with more than one this season and first time they've netted two on the man-advantage since a 6-2 loss March 26 of last season against the Arizona Coyotes.
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It was the first time the Blue Jackets have scored three power-play goals in a game since Feb. 23, 2021 in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks , and they're now 10 for 30 (33.3%) in the past 10 games — tied for third in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins .
Columbus is also tied with Utah for 14thin the league at 21.7% for the season (21 for 97), which is a welcome change.
Three of Werenski's four assists against the Bruins led to power-play goals, which pushed his scoring line for the season to 11 goals, 28 assists and 39 points in 36 games as the NHL's third-leading scorer among defensemen. Werenski also joined former Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin as the only two players in Blue Jackets franchise history to have five career four-point performances and multiple four-assist games. The Jackets' rapidly improving power play played a big role in those accomplishments.
"I don't think we've really had a good power play here since my first year," Werenski said. "It's been a lot of fun being on it. The hard part's just doing it for the rest of the season and keeping it going, but I like where we're at right now."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Power play rolls in Columbus Blue Jackets romp over Bruins: Takeaways
