- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,144,789
- Reaction score
- 59
The most encouraging thing about the Blue Jackets’ two-game restart after the NHL’s Olympic pause is also the most frustrating.
More: Zach Werenski gets hero's welcome from Columbus Blue Jackets fans after Olympic gold
Despite mostly outplaying teams they’re chasing for playoff spots Feb. 26 at the Boston Bruins and Feb. 28 against the New York Islanders, the Jackets lost each game after failing to convert enough scoring chances into goals. They outshot the Bruins 40-23 and lost 4-2, then lost 4-3 in overtime to the Islanders despite leading 2-0 in the second period of their first game back at Nationwide Arena.
Against the Islanders (34-21-5), the Blue Jackets (29-21-8) couldn’t make it 3-0 on a series of dominant shifts in the second before allowing three straight goals that were all aided by odd puck bounces.
“We’re all over them,” Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We have a lot of chances, don’t score, and they come down and get two fluky ones and it’s 2-2 at that point.”
It could’ve been 3-0, if not more, had the Jackets scored while outshooting the Islanders 11-1 during a five-minute barrage preceding Anders Lee’s goal that made it 2-1 with 8:23 left in the second. Lee scored after having a backhand shot from teammate Scott Mayfield bounce off his helmet and drop the puck to his feet in front of the Blue Jackets' crease.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau tied it 2-2 on the ensuing shift by following his own shot and tapping the puck to his right skate for a deflection that went into the net while the Islanders' forward contacted goalie Jet Greaves' left pad with the same skate. The Blue Jackets challenged for goaltender interference and lost, giving New York a power play on the resulting delay-of-game penalty.
The Islanders' third goal was even goofier. Mayfield fired a harmless shot that skipped Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko's stick and deflected into the net off Werenski, who was standing in front of the crease defending Islanders cener Bo Horvat.
It was a double-doink the Blue Jackets could've used earlier in the period. Instead, they came up empty until Werenski shot a puck off Adam Fantilli's backside that tied it 3-3 with 1:02 left in the second.
“Guys are going to step up and we’re going to score enough goals, but it’s moments like that, that can either put you up 3-0, or the next thing you know it’s 2-2,” Werenski said. “It’s kind of a defining moment in a hockey game and it would’ve been nice to get one more there.”
The Blue Jackets have said that or something similar too often.
Last season, while setting a franchise record in goals, they led the NHL in scoring six-plus goals by doing it in a whopping 16 games. This season, not counting a 6-5 shootout win Dec. 4 against Detroit, they’ve scored six-plus goals four times, watching shots that went into the net last year be denied by goalies, posts, crossbars, blocks, missed attempts or bad luck.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets are seventh in the NHL in generating even-strength scoring chances (1,447). They're 15th in the league creating scoring chances from high-danger situations most likely to produce goals (590). As for goals at even strength, they're 14th total goals scored (149) and 18th in high-danger goals (66).
They’re creating enough scoring chances but not scoring enough with those opportunities. It’s been a season-long issue, along with coughing up late leads, but coach Rick Bowness has seemingly corrected the latter since replacing Dean Evason on Jan. 12.
Can he also help a frustrated team put more pucks in the net?
“We had them down 2-0, and we had so many chances there to make it 3-0, and Sorokin just came up big, which was the same thing as in Boston (against goalie Joonas Korpisalo),” Bowness said. “You’ve just got to fight through these things. It’s disappointing, but when you get a chance to make it 3-0, and we had enough chances to do that, that eventually will bite you.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected] and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Squandered scoring chances keep biting Columbus Blue Jackets
Continue reading...
More: Zach Werenski gets hero's welcome from Columbus Blue Jackets fans after Olympic gold
Despite mostly outplaying teams they’re chasing for playoff spots Feb. 26 at the Boston Bruins and Feb. 28 against the New York Islanders, the Jackets lost each game after failing to convert enough scoring chances into goals. They outshot the Bruins 40-23 and lost 4-2, then lost 4-3 in overtime to the Islanders despite leading 2-0 in the second period of their first game back at Nationwide Arena.
Against the Islanders (34-21-5), the Blue Jackets (29-21-8) couldn’t make it 3-0 on a series of dominant shifts in the second before allowing three straight goals that were all aided by odd puck bounces.
“We’re all over them,” Blue Jackets star defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We have a lot of chances, don’t score, and they come down and get two fluky ones and it’s 2-2 at that point.”
It could’ve been 3-0, if not more, had the Jackets scored while outshooting the Islanders 11-1 during a five-minute barrage preceding Anders Lee’s goal that made it 2-1 with 8:23 left in the second. Lee scored after having a backhand shot from teammate Scott Mayfield bounce off his helmet and drop the puck to his feet in front of the Blue Jackets' crease.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau tied it 2-2 on the ensuing shift by following his own shot and tapping the puck to his right skate for a deflection that went into the net while the Islanders' forward contacted goalie Jet Greaves' left pad with the same skate. The Blue Jackets challenged for goaltender interference and lost, giving New York a power play on the resulting delay-of-game penalty.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Islanders' third goal was even goofier. Mayfield fired a harmless shot that skipped Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko's stick and deflected into the net off Werenski, who was standing in front of the crease defending Islanders cener Bo Horvat.
It was a double-doink the Blue Jackets could've used earlier in the period. Instead, they came up empty until Werenski shot a puck off Adam Fantilli's backside that tied it 3-3 with 1:02 left in the second.
“Guys are going to step up and we’re going to score enough goals, but it’s moments like that, that can either put you up 3-0, or the next thing you know it’s 2-2,” Werenski said. “It’s kind of a defining moment in a hockey game and it would’ve been nice to get one more there.”
The Blue Jackets have said that or something similar too often.
Last season, while setting a franchise record in goals, they led the NHL in scoring six-plus goals by doing it in a whopping 16 games. This season, not counting a 6-5 shootout win Dec. 4 against Detroit, they’ve scored six-plus goals four times, watching shots that went into the net last year be denied by goalies, posts, crossbars, blocks, missed attempts or bad luck.
You must be registered for see images attach
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets are seventh in the NHL in generating even-strength scoring chances (1,447). They're 15th in the league creating scoring chances from high-danger situations most likely to produce goals (590). As for goals at even strength, they're 14th total goals scored (149) and 18th in high-danger goals (66).
They’re creating enough scoring chances but not scoring enough with those opportunities. It’s been a season-long issue, along with coughing up late leads, but coach Rick Bowness has seemingly corrected the latter since replacing Dean Evason on Jan. 12.
Can he also help a frustrated team put more pucks in the net?
“We had them down 2-0, and we had so many chances there to make it 3-0, and Sorokin just came up big, which was the same thing as in Boston (against goalie Joonas Korpisalo),” Bowness said. “You’ve just got to fight through these things. It’s disappointing, but when you get a chance to make it 3-0, and we had enough chances to do that, that eventually will bite you.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected] and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Squandered scoring chances keep biting Columbus Blue Jackets
Continue reading...
