Does this look familiar to anybody?
After fumbling yet another victory they should have claimed Nov. 10 at Edmonton, a 5-4 overtime loss decided by Columbus’ own Jack Roslovic, the Blue Jackets (7-7-1) have lost four straight games going into a back-to-back finale against the Seattle Kraken on Nov. 11 at Climate Pledge Arena.
This is exactly how their 2023-24 season slipped away in what turned out to be Johnny Gaudreau’s final season. Pascal Vincent was the coach, handling a role for one season that belonged to Mike Babcock before his forced resignation amid a cellphone privacy scandal.
Ring a bell?
It should, because the Blue Jackets under Vincent couldn’t finish off games they led. It was one of the biggest reasons fans pleaded for his firing, which president/general manager Don Waddell delivered in his first big managerial decision after joining the organization in late May 2024.
Waddell chased after Todd McLellan, who’s now coaching the Detroit Red Wings, and then hired former Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason. It was a home run hiring after Evason and the Jackets’ player leadership group steered them through the tragedy of Gaudreau’s death.
The Blue Jackets defied dire expectations last season, falling two points shy of the playoffs and staying relevant for 81 of 82 games, but that was a different team. Despite Waddell making minimal summer changes, this version of the Blue Jackets is different.
They look less focused, less confident, and through 15 games they have been much less successful finishing games they’ve led. This team looks similar to the one that got Vincent fired, only this team has long stretches where the Blue Jackets dictate play.
It happened again in Edmonton, where the Blue Jackets lost despite dominating the second period, leading 3-1 to start the third period and still holding a 4-2 edge with six minutes left. Three games earlier, a 2-1 lead wriggled away in a back-to-back finale Nov. 2 against the New York Islanders, who scored two goals in the final 1:07 to win 3-2.
They haven’t won since.
Now the Blue Jackets will face another rested team in Seattle while dealing with a flu-like illness outbreak and skating on tired legs after a postgame flight with another time zone change.
That’s a long way of saying the Blue Jackets could easily return from this road trip winless in five straight with another game against the Oilers on tap Nov. 13 at Nationwide Arena.
Here are four more takeaways from the Blue Jackets’ latest win that got away:
The Islanders’ late comeback against the Blue Jackets was sparked by a tying goal with 1:07 left that deflected off Zach Werenski’s stick.
Attempting to block a shot with his blade, the Jackets’ star defenseman accidentally redirected it over goalie Elvis Merzlikins’ shoulder and under the crossbar.
Well, it happened again in Edmonton. This time, forward Mathieu Olivier was the one who skated away shaking his head after he attempted to block a pass attempt by Oilers defenseman Jake Walman and sent it into his own net with 58 seconds for a short-handed goal that tied it 3-3 to force overtime.
The puck traveled on a similar path as Werenski’s own goal, deflecting into the air before sailing over goalie Jet Greaves’ shoulder and under the crossbar.
“We caught a few really bad breaks,” Evason told reporters in Edmonton. “I mean, come on. Like, the puck has no business going in … on a pass going across the seam, where you go stick-on-puck and it ends up in our net.”
Asked to analyze what happened on Roslovic’s breakaway goal to end it in overtime, Evason pointed to a “late” line change being responsible for not picking up the Oilers forward in the neutral zone.
He didn’t cite names, but it was Kirill Marchenko trailing far behind a 2-on-1 rush for Werenski and Charlie Coyle. As he drifted to the bench for a change, Coyle’s shot was stopped cold and sent quickly to Roslovic by Walman before Yegor Chinakhov could get onto the ice to defend it.
Little things are crushing the Blue Jackets in big ways right now.
Jack Roslovic exacts revenge on Columbus Blue Jackets
Prior to being dealt at the 2024 trade deadline, Roslovic expressed a desire to remain in his hometown.
He was a pending unrestricted free agent, however, so it made sense for the Blue Jackets to flip him to the New York Rangers as a rental forward in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick. Roslovic played in the playoffs for New York, and then signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Hurricanes before waiting until Oct. 8 to sign another one-year deal in Edmonton.
Inconsistent production has plagued his NHL career, but playing with stars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid could do wonders for his numbers. Roslovic has also become a thorn in the Blue Jackets’ side.
Last season, he scored two goals for the Hurricanes in four games against Columbus, and with the Oilers he assisted Walman’s first of two goals before scoring in OT.
Columbus Blue Jackets battling illness
Cole Sillinger and Miles Wood didn’t play in Edmonton, while Sean Monahan and Olivier played through flu-like symptoms that are spreading throughout the team.
Monahan scored a goal in the second to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead and his new line with Boone Jenner and Kent Johnson was effective. The Jackets’ illness situation, however, is something to monitor in Seattle.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social