The Columbus Blue Jackets were hoping to end their week a perfect 3-0 with a back-to-back road game against the Buffalo Sabres. If they were going to get the win, the Blue Jackets had to buck a couple of different trends that have hurt them in the early going. Back-to-backs and road games.
After the dust settled on Friday night, the work is only just beginning in trying to find solutions on both of those fronts.
Josh Norris scored twice while Owen Power added three assists to power the Sabres to an easy 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Friday night. Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist while Zach Werenski scored in his second consecutive game. That’s where the positives ended for the road team in this game.
From the drop of the puck, the Sabres dictated the pace. Outside of a couple mini moments where the Blue Jackets showed some life, the night belonged to Buffalo.
The Blue Jackets simply weren’t ready to play. For a team that’s trying to find its footing in a tough Eastern Conference, they cannot consistently start late. Teams like the Sabres will make them pay especially after their coach Lindy Ruff got into them after their last game, a tough 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Major Woes
If the Blue Jackets want to be a major player in this playoff race, they must start finding more success on the second half of back-to-backs and on the road. With this loss, the Blue Jackets are 1-5 on the road and 0-3 on the second half of back-to-back games. Only the Chicago Blackhawks have yet to win a game on the road this season.
The Blue Jackets have been outscored 21-13 on the road this season including 12-6 in the second half to back-to-backs when on the road.
Head coach Rick Bowness had a message for his team after this latest loss.
“That’s what I told the players after,” Bowness said. “We will take a look at what we’re doing as a coaching staff, but they have to take a look at what they’re doing to prepare for a back-to-back. There are a lot more, there’s 10 more or whatever, coming. We have to take a good look at that. We’ve played better in the back-to-backs than we did here tonight and that’s a hungry team over there.”
Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness said everyone needs to review their back-to-back preparations. (Matt Blewett-Imagn Images)
The one thing that really bothered Bowness on Friday night was just how easy the Sabres made it look at times. That doomed the Blue Jackets in the first period.
“They’re a rush team,” Bowness said. “(Our) puck management wasn’t where it has to be. You saw how we got that first goal. It was a good forecheck and created some really good opportunities. But you’re going to lose some games. It’s just how you lose, and I don’t like how – we just made it too easy for them tonight.”
Coyle/Olivier React
Charlie Coyle summarized the game like this. “We didn’t come out as hungry as they did. Simple as that.” Now it’s up to them to figure out how to be ready for this situation. How do they plan on doing that?
“I think just talk,” Coyle said. “We prep. We do our video. We do everything we need to do. It’s just up to us to go out and execute and play the right way and be on our toes. They came out hard and they didn’t let up. It doesn’t matter what night, doesn’t matter if we just played three in a row or four in a row. We have to come out with the same mindset. If we take quicker shifts doing it, then that’s the play.”
Mathieu Olivier acknowledged the Blue Jackets didn’t have the push they needed most of the night. But he wasn’t ready to concede the road record being a trend just yet.
“If we start looking into that, then it becomes a thing,” Olivier said. “It’s not a trend yet. Three of those losses came on the road the second night of back-to-back and we have to find a way to be more ready to play. Tonight our jump was off and our battle level was off a little bit and that’s what ultimately cost us the game. It’s not a trend. It’s just a compete and execution thing.”
Final Thoughts
The Blue Jackets did go 2-1 in a week that was deemed a tough schedule including a perfect 2-0 at home. That’s the good news. The bad news is the back-to-backs and the road remain an issue. That’s how a 6-3 home record turns into an under .500 overall record.
There were moments in the game, including Johnson’s goal, in which the Blue Jackets had opportunities to try to take control of the game. Instead, the Sabres turned up the heat and outworked the Blue Jackets the rest of the night.
The Blue Jackets now get a few days to rest before hosting the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. The big story to watch now are the injuries to Sean Monahan and Dmitri Voronkov. Monahan blocked a shot and left the game. Voronkov suffered an upper-body injury in the third period and was seen in street clothes right after the game.
Bowness said both were being further evaluated but didn’t have an update beyond that. If one or both have to miss any length of time, Luca Del Bel Belluz and Ryan Lomberg would enter the lineup after being healthy scratches on Friday.
The Blue Jackets will return to practice on Sunday morning. We’ll see if any further updates are available then.
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