Jackets to work on weathering frequent momentum swings
ST. LOUIS — One of the Blue Jackets’ top priorities this season is to show growth from their growing pains.
Striving to become a playoff contender again will require maturation in a number of areas, but dealing with momentum swings remains a top concern. The Jackets have a tendency to shrink against teams that turn up the heat by pressuring the puck, and the latest example led to a confounding 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
After dominating the first period and taking a 1-0 lead into the first in- termission, the Blue Jackets (12-7-0) had the game flipped on them to start the second. The Blues came out with fire in their eyes and sent forecheckers into the Columbus zone in waves to overwhelm the Jackets.
“We’ve definitely got to learn from it,” said captain Boone Jenner, who scored the game’s first goal on a power play in the first period. “When the momentum swings a little bit in their favor, just try to simplify and get back to our game and get some pressure off our (defensemen) and get on our forecheck. A big part of the game is when it changes momentum like that, so I think we could’ve been better in that aspect.”
It’s not the first time they’ve had that assessment after a loss. It probably won’t be the last, either.
Similar struggles occurred in losses to the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers (twice), Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights. The Jackets’ 4-2 victory Friday against the Canucks could also be included, but that was a full-on “dead legs” game that was stolen thanks to some timely goals and Elvis Merzlikins’ goaltending.
What happened against the Blues was different.
Columbus got off to a great start and dominated the first 20 minutes. Once the Blues punched back to start the second, scoring goals 58 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead, the Jackets had no answer. It became three straight goals before Columbus settled things down late in the period, and the Jackets
crumbled again in the third —after Adam Boqvist’s first of two goals pulled them within 3-2 just 1:03 into the period.
Turnovers, missed coverages and failure to win puck battles were the biggest culprits.
“It seems like whenever another team has momentum and we get to the other team’s blue line, we’re trying to make plays or we’re turning pucks over,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We’re not keeping it simple and they just keep coming and coming (at us).”
Another way to put it is calming the game down, which the Jackets have yet to master.
“We’ve got to learn how to, and that’s something that we’ve got to help coach them through it,” coach Brad Larsen said. “We’ve got a practice (Monday). We’ll look at the video and try and address some things. (We’re) giving up way too much in the slot, so we’ll address some stuff and work at it.”
Experiment nets two power-play goals
One of the positives for the Jackets is the reemergence of the top power-play group.
Searching for answers with Patrik Laine still out injured, the Jackets are getting a nice payoff from an experiment they tried a week ago in Buffalo. Rather than using defensemen Zach Werenski and Adam Boqvist as separate quarterbacks for each unit, the two are now playing together on the top group to form a skilled puck-moving trio
with forward Jakub Voracek.
All three can interchange their roles and locations once the Jackets get set up in the offense .
Boqvist, who has a right-handed shot, starts out on the left wing, Werenski mans the point in the 1-3-1 and Voracek, a lefty, lines up on the right wing. Once they get set up in the offensive zone, all three can interchange to keep penalty-killers moving and guessing.
Werenski, for example, scored from the right faceoff circle Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets and sent the shot that Jenner tipped home from above the left circle in the St. Louis game. Boqvist scored his first goal of the game from the left circle, one-timing a diagonal feed from Voracek past Husso, and all three spent time from the quarterback spot at the point. bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger
BLUES 6, BLUE JACKETS 3
Columbus 1 0 2—3
St. Louis 0 3 3—6
FIRST PERIOD: 1. Columbus, Jenner 10 (Werenski, Boqvist), 12:38 (pp). Penalties—krug, STL (hooking), 0:56; Scandella, STL (interference), 11:15.
SECOND: 2. St. Louis, Buchnevich 7 (Tarasenko), 0:58; 3. St. Louis, Barbashev 6 (Buchnevich, Sundqvist), 1:56; 4. St. Louis, Kyrou 9 (O'reilly), 13:12. Penalties—texier, CBJ (delay of game), 6:55; Peeke, CBJ (holding), 15:45; Faulk, STL (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:06.
THIRD: 5. Columbus, Boqvist 3 (Bjorkstrand, Voracek), 1:03 (pp); 6. St. Louis, Faulk 4 (Tarasenko, Thomas), 5:42; 7. St. Louis, Buchnevich 8 (Thomas, Tarasenko), 10:30; 8. St. Louis, Barbashev 7 (Parayko, Saad), 12:40; 9. Columbus, Boqvist 4 (Bean, Texier), 17:46. Penalties—bortuzzo, STL (cross checking), 14:45; O'reilly, STL (hooking), 20:00.
Shots on goal: Columbus 7-8-12—27; St. Louis 7-17-9—33. Power plays: Columbus 2 of 4; St. Louis 0 of 2. Goalies: Columbus, Korpisalo 3-4-0 (33 shots-27 saves); St. Louis, Husso 3-1-0 (27-24). A: 18,096. T: 2:23.