In the early days of Rick Bowness\u2019 tenure last month, the head coach often used a familiar phrase when talking about the performance of his team.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to fix that,\u201d Bowness would say about a particular area of the Blue Jackets\u2019 game he didn\u2019t like. \u201cAnd we will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleven games into his reign as the Jackets\u2019 head coach, Bowness has largely been correct. The Blue Jackets have won 10 of those contests (nine in regulation), going from a tie for last place in the Eastern Conference to a tie for ninth, just four points out of a playoff spot at the Olympic break.<\/p>\n
So how have the Blue Jackets done it? For starters, they are tied for second in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.18) and second in goal differential (plus-19) since Bowness’ first game Jan. 13, which pairs nicely with an offense that is tied for fifth in the league with 3.91 goals per game. Add in solid special teams (a combined power-play and penalty-kill percentage of 105.3) as well as the ability to close out leads, and the Blue Jackets have found a winning formula under their new head coach.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at seven more stats that help explain how the Blue Jackets have become the hottest team in the NHL.<\/p>\n
The team defense has improved dramatically.<\/p>\n
1. Bowness made a key part of his coaching philosophy clear on day one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t the \u201880s, man,\u201d he said at his introductory press conference. \u201cYou don\u2019t score your way into the playoffs. You defend your way into the playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
As you might expect, the coach that has spent more games behind an NHL bench than any other is correct. A season ago, 15 of the top 16 teams in the league in team defense qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs \u2013 and the other, Calgary, missed by a tiebreaker.<\/p>\n
When the Blue Jackets made the coaching change, the defensive numbers weren\u2019t pretty. Columbus was allowing 3.38 goals per game at that time, placing 28th in the league, and the advanced numbers weren\u2019t much better \u2013 per Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets were 24th of 32 teams in expected goals allowed per 60 minutes (2.77) and 15th in high-danger chances allowed per 60 (11.34) at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n
But since Bowness came in with a defense-first focus, those numbers all have improved. As we already noted, the Blue Jackets are tied for second in the NHL in goals allowed per game, and the advanced numbers are better too, with Columbus fifth in the league in xGA\/60 (2.37) and first in HDCA\/60 (9.35).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a simple concept \u2013 if you don\u2019t let opposing teams get shots from the most dangerous areas on the ice, you\u2019re probably not going to allow as many goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love seeing those goals against come down,\u201d Bowness said.<\/p>\n
Especially when …<\/p>\n
2. Bowness has leaned into both CBJ goaltenders, and both Jet Greaves and Elvis Merzlikins have delivered.<\/p>\n
A separation had formed in the playing time among the CBJ netminders during December and early January, with Greaves establishing himself as the starter. But since Bowness has taken over, both have played six games and delivered impressive results.<\/p>\n
Merzlikins has made six starts in that span and posted a 5-1-0 record, 2.03 GAA and .925 save percentage, capping the first half Tuesday at New Jersey with his first shutout since October 2024. Greaves, meanwhile, has two blankings in five starts, going 5-0-0 with a 2.12 GAA and .924 save percentage.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a bit reminiscent of the early season when the goalies rotated starts and were playing well, and with 17 games upcoming in March, the head coach said he plans to keep playing time split between the two netminders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of back-to-backs coming back,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna need both goalies, and both have been outstanding since I\u2019ve been here. They give us a chance every night.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. The Blue Jackets have made it easier on themselves by playing from ahead.<\/p>\n
There are comebacks aplenty in the NHL these days, but it\u2019s still a lot simpler to win games when you score the first goal. And in nine of Bowness\u2019 11 games in charge, Columbus has opened the scoring and played from ahead.<\/p>\n
That has translated to the rest of the game, as well, as the Blue Jackets have trailed in just three contests in Bowness\u2019 tenure. Overall, in the 665 minutes of game play since he took over, Columbus has led for 402:39 and trailed for just 64:14.<\/p>\n
Those impressive numbers have moved the Blue Jackets to fifth in the NHL on the season in time spent leading.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Charlie Coyle said. \u201cYou always want to play with the lead.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Columbus has eight of its 12 empty-net goals on the season in the last 11 games, a sign of its ability to finish off games.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, this stat might be the story of the season. It\u2019s no secret the Blue Jackets struggled keeping third-period leads in the first half of the campaign, and one reason why was the inability to ice games with the opposing net empty. The Blue Jackets allowed four teams to tie the game with the goalie pulled in the opening 45 contests while notching just four tallies into an empty net, a 50 percent success rate in those pivotal situations.<\/p>\n
But in the Bowness era, the Blue Jackets have won every game in which they\u2019ve had a third-period lead, turning those early advantages into two points. Pittsburgh did tie a game with its net empty Jan. 17, but the Blue Jackets went on to win in a shootout, and Columbus has scored into an opposing team\u2019s empty net in seven contests.<\/p>\n
As the games get tighter down the stretch, being able to win in the final minutes will be key, and Bowness has had the team practice 6-on-5 situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting to this time of year, it\u2019s gonna be a lot of close games,\u201d Bowness said. \u201cYou have to know how to handle those situations, so you have to go over them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In all, the team\u2019s goal differential of plus-7 in the third period has pulled the Blue Jackets out of the NHL\u2019s basement in that stat.<\/p>\n
5. It\u2019s also been a full team effort on the scoreboard during the 11-game stretch.<\/p>\n
Ivan Provorov\u2019s goal in Wednesday\u2019s victory over Chicago made him the 19th different Blue Jacket to score since Bowness took over, a mark that leads the league. Only Ottawa (18) and Pittsburgh (17) are within two of the Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n
After his hat trick in Chicago last Friday, Charlie Coyle noted there\u2019s been a different hero each night, and that\u2019s proven true. Coyle and Mason Marchment each have hat tricks, while Coyle and Mathieu Olivier have pitched in two-goal contests as well. Even playing spot duty, Danton Heinen has a pair of goals, including one Wednesday night while skating on the top line with Marchment and Adam Fantilli.<\/p>\n
6. Coyle has turned into one of the NHL\u2019s most effective two-way players in this span, as well.<\/p>\n
The 14-year NHL veteran has long been one of the most consistent players in the league, but he\u2019s performed like an elite player over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Coyle has posted eight goals and 16 points in the last 11 contests, tying for sixth in goals and 11th in points in the league since Jan. 13. He has five multipoint games in that span while also centering the team\u2019s top defensive line that often draws the assignment of shadowing the opposition\u2019s best scorers.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re looking for a play that summarizes Coyle\u2019s game, there have been dazzling passes and netfront wizardry, but look no further his diving effort on Olivier\u2019s awarded empty-net goal to cap off Tuesday\u2019s win at New Jersey. With Columbus holding a 2-0 lead but four minutes left for the Devils to get back into it, Coyle left his feet to knock the puck out of the defensive zone, allowing Olivier to use his speed to ice the game.<\/p>\n
7. The team\u2019s hot streak stands strongly in team history.<\/p>\n
Columbus has won seven games in a row going into the break, marking the first time since a 10-game win streak from March 4-22, 2018, that the Blue Jackets have accomplished that feat. It\u2019s also just the sixth winning streak of at least seven games in team history.<\/p>\n
When it comes to winning 11 out of the last 12 games (including the last of the Dean Evason era), it\u2019s just the fourth time in CBJ history that\u2019s happened \u2013 Columbus won 12 of 13 from March 4-28, 2018; 16 in a row from Nov. 29, 2016 to Jan. 3, 2017; and 12 of 13 in two separate stretches to close the 2014-15 season.<\/p>\n
So enjoy it while it lasts, Blue Jackets fans \u2013 runs like this don\u2019t come around very often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the early days of Rick Bowness\u2019 tenure last month, the head coach often used a familiar phrase…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449188,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5108],"tags":[3644,5180,897,230,5179,5,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-449187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-columbus-blue-jackets","8":"tag-blue-jackets","9":"tag-bluejackets","10":"tag-columbus","11":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","12":"tag-columbusbluejackets","13":"tag-hockey","14":"tag-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116024975282797863","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}