Warning signs are flashing on the dashboard for the Blue Jackets, but all they’ve done to stop them through 24 games is repeatedly tap the gauges.
Perhaps it’s time to find a trustworthy repair shop.
After gaining and quickly losing another late lead in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 26 at Nationwide Arena, all is not well with the Blue Jackets (11-9-4) right now, and yes, there is definitely something to see here.
The Jackets play good hockey most nights, including their OT loss to the Leafs, but they’re struggling to finish scoring chances and games. They’ve played long stretches of good defense, often 50-plus minutes per game, but a rut of blown leads late in games has vaporized points they could’ve had.
The blown 1-0 lead star defenseman Zach Werenski provided against the Maple Leafs with 6:30 left in regulation vanished just 3:43 later, after Toronto rookie forward Easton Cowan tied it 1-1.
Salvaging a point by getting the game into overtime, the Jackets lost their third straight game when William Nylander scored for Toronto with 20 seconds left in OT.
Two losses in their current slide were in OT after blowing late leads, including a 4-3 loss Nov. 22 in Detroit. They also blew a 2-1 lead late in the third against the Maple on Nov. 20 at Scotiabank Arena, but Adam Fantilli bailed them out with an OT winner in that one.
Over their past 10 games, the Blue Jackets have gone past regulation in seven times and have blown leads while doing it five times. They’ve gone 3-0-4 in those games, including 1-0-2 while coughing up two-goal leads late in three of those games.
The bright side is that factoring in six games they’ve won in regulation while leading late, their overall record is 9-1-3 in games they’ve led in third periods. Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason was quick to point that out when asked about another potential win slipping away.
“Someone brought me a number a couple games ago … that when we’ve had a lead in the third period, we were 9-1-2, so what do you mean?” Evason said. “Do we want two points? Yeah, but we’ll take those three that we didn’t (get) and maybe those turn around. (Reporters) have probably asked me every single day, the same thing, and if the numbers don’t (indicate) that’s true, then it’s not true. Right?”
Yes, sort of, but also … no.
While 9-1-3 looks great, a closer look shows that three of those nine wins required the Jackets winning in overtime or a shootout after first blowing a lead in the third period. Not winning in regulation gives opposing teams a point, and those points all loom large in the tightly packed Eastern Conference standings.
The good news is it’s early, and the Jackets (26 points) are just one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the second of two wild-card spots in the East. Context is also helpful, since roughly 28% of all NHL games have lapsed past regulation time during an injury plagued season for nearly the entire league.
What stings most for the Hackets is they’re also one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers outside the East’s playoff bubble, tied in points with the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, and sit just four points ahead of last place Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have fumbled at least five points they could’ve had with regulation wins, which would have them tied at 31 points with the New Jersey Devils at the top of the Metropolitan Division.
“I’m sure everyone’s probably sick of it and sick of hearing it, but at the end of the day, we played really good hockey,” Werenski said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or be down about it. Obviously, we don’t want that to happen, and we’ve addressed it and talked about it, but in saying that, we’re leading in almost every game and late in games. So, now it’s just finishing it and getting two points.”
Here are two more takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets rookie Luca Pinelli impresses in NHL debut
He didn’t score a goal or earn his first point, but rookie forward Luca Pinelli left a strong impression on the Blue Jackets’ coaching staff and teammates in his NHL debut.
Skating on a line with veteran center Sean Monahan and Cole Sillinger, Pinelli logged 16:20 on 21 solid shifts while finishing with two shots on three attempts, one hit and one blocked shot. He also spent 2:07 with the second power-play unit and forced Toronto goalie Joseph Woll to make a save in overtime.
“I thought he was great,” Sillinger said. “He definitely brought some jam, made a lot of good plays and he was confident when he had the puck on his stick, seeing him out there in overtime and seeing him out there on special teams. I’m excited for him.”
Toronto Maple Leafs up physicality while Columbus Blue Jackets play without Olivier, Gudbranson
The Maple Leafs weren’t shy about cross-checking the Blue Jackets at the tail end of plays around the net and several after the whistle.
The most egregious wasn’t even called a penalty when Toronto defenseman Simon Benoit laid a vicious cross-check to Sean Monahan’s ribs in the second period after the Blue Jackets center reached his hand up over his head to swat the puck.
Benoit, Jake McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsson took advantage of the Blue Jackets playing without injured defenseman Erik Gudbranson and power forward Mathieu Olivier, two fearsome enforcers. Miles Wood, Zach Aston-Reese and Adam Fantilli led the way in pushing back, but this could become an issue for the Blue Jackets if Olivier and Gudbranson are out much longer.
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social