The Columbus Blue Jackets weren’t originally supposed to have a four-game week. But thanks to the postponed game against the Los Angeles Kings, not only was it a four-game week. The team had to play four games in six nights which included a back-to-back in Tampa the next night after leaving Columbus.
Thanks to their 2-1 shootout win on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Blue Jackets earned six of a possible eight points in this most important week. Considering the level of competition the team faced while dealing with increasing fatigue as the week went on, it was an impressive performance.
The Blue Jackets went 2-0-2 this week against the following opponents.
- Los Angeles Kings, a team fighting for their playoff lives in the West.
- Tampa Bay Lightning, a team many consider to be a favorite to win the Eastern Conference.
- Florida Panthers, a team who’s out of the playoff race but still have pride and good players. No road games are ever gimmes.
- Philadelphia Flyers, a team fighting for their playoff lives in the East.
The Flyers played like a desperate team as you’d expect. They had a Blue Jackets’ team playing their fourth game in six nights. Yet, the Flyers couldn’t even get to 20 shots on goal through 65 minutes.
That’s been a major theme this week for the Blue Jackets. When they needed it most, their team defense stepped up in a big way. While they remain on the outside of the playoff picture Sunday morning, they have positioned themselves well to knock the door down soon.
Check out the playoff picture from a Blue Jackets’ perspective. They have four teams in clear sight of them with 16 games left to play.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: 81 points.
- New York Islanders: 81 points.
- Boston Bruins: 80 points.
- Detroit Red Wings: 80 points.
- Columbus Blue Jackets 79 points.
The Blue Jackets cannot look back. The Ottawa Senators are right there with 75 points and a game Sunday against a desperate San Jose Sharks’ team. The Senators pose the biggest threat of teams not named the Blue Jackets to crash the Eastern Conference playoff party.
Back to the topic at hand. The Blue Jackets’ defense has found their stride at a time when the team needed it most.
Team Defense Leveled Up
The average team in today’s NHL generates around 28 shots on goal per game and scored just over three goals per game. Consider what the Blue Jackets have done with that background.
The Kings won a wild game Monday in overtime 5-4 that saw Kirill Marchenko tie the game late to force overtime and gain an important point. The Kings generated 31 shots on goal. No team got anywhere close to that the rest of the week.
The Blue Jackets held their three opponents, the Lightning, Panthers and Flyers, to 18, 21 and 19 shots on goal. According to the team record book, it marks the first time they’ve ever held three consecutive opponents to 21 or fewer shots in a game.
This is what Rick Bowness had in mind when he accepted the Blue Jackets’ head coaching position. He was going to bring a more defensive approach that limited opponent’s chances. We are now seeing that play out in the heat of this playoff race.
Tuesday in Tampa, the Blue Jackets held the Lightning to just four shots on goal in the first period on their way to leading the shot clock in all three periods. The Lightning couldn’t muster more than eight shots in a period. Not only did the Blue Jackets possess the puck, they swarmed the Lightning all night.
Thursday in Sunrise, the Blue Jackets were up to more of the same. Despite being outplayed in the third, they still outshot the Panthers 7-6. The only reason the Panthers got to 21 shots was a 5-0 advantage in overtime before winning the game. The Blue Jackets held the Panthers to 16 shots on goal through regulation. Sergei Bobrovsky was the reason Columbus only came away with one point.
The beat went on Saturday in Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets held the Flyers to just 18 shots through regulation and only got one shot on Jet Greaves in overtime. That included a perfect performance on the penalty kill on four opportunities.
The common theme in the road games this week? The Blue Jackets kept teams to the outside. They blocked shots when needed. When the puck got to the middle, they were there to clean things up. Shots on goal usually resulted in no second and third chances. When it mattered most, the team simplified their game and gave themselves a chance to win despite being tired due to the schedule.
The Blue Jackets have Sunday off and will practice on Monday in advance of their game Tuesday when they host the Carolina Hurricanes. This is one of two times in which they’ll have two days off for the rest of the season. They other time is April 5 and 6 before their last five games of the regular season.
Bowness’ Influence
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Blue Jackets when the coaching change was made was how quickly would the team adapt to the style Bowness wanted to play. When he was introduced, he immediately called out reducing goals against as a priority.
This stat will put that into perspective. The Blue Jackets have allowed 55 goals in the 21 games Rick Bowness has coached. That’s 2.61 goals per game. Over a full season, that would make them one of the best defensive teams in the league. The Colorado Avalanche have allowed 59 goals in the 20 games since Bowness took over, an average of 2.95 per game.
To say that Bowness has completely turned the fortunes of the Blue Jackets in a short amount of time might not be giving it enough justice. Under Dean Evason this season, the team allowed 3.40 goals per game. It makes you wonder if Bowness has done enough in such a short amount of time to gain Jack Adams award votes for coach of the year.
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The Blue Jackets were last in the Eastern Conference at the time of the coaching change. They now have an almost 70% chance of making the playoffs based on what model you use. If you’ve wondered why, look no further than the team defense. It’s completely changed the outlook of the Blue Jackets in a season that was almost lost in January.
The job is not done yet. But there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about where the Blue Jackets hope to go. With a defense like this, they have just as good a chance as anyone to not only make the playoffs, but make noise in them.
