It was another heart breaker for both the Blue Jackets and their fans. A consistently tough opponent in Boston was bound to give Columbus a hard fought battle, but as the game came to a close I could not help but feel like a win was stolen. This scenario played out plenty of times last season, tied heading to overtime. One would think that Blue Jackets fans are used to the knee knocking heart pounding moments of overtime by now, but it rarely gets easier.
For the most part, I think it was a game the Blue Jackets deserved to win. I personally didn’t fall in love with their scoring opportunities, but they certainly had them, and for at least forty minutes throughout the game, they controlled play. Despite a very lackluster start to the second period, Columbus managed to battle back to 12-12 in second period shots after being down 4-12 at the midway point.
Bobrovksy was good, but not great. Through the wickets is never a good thing, making the overtime loss a bit more painful. Hard to fault him on the Thornton goal as Johnson tipped the shot, and I am sure he’d rather have the first goal back instead of settling for begging the referees for goaltender interference. Beyond the goals, he had a couple of moments where he was just barely in control and the puck seemed to squirm through him a bit. That said, he also managed a couple great saves to keep Columbus in the game when they were playing poorly during stretches. In any case, at .903 on the night, Bob was once again very human.
Defensively, I have so many concerns. Really bad decisions springing the opposition on either breakaways or odd man rushes, with only Ryan Murray as a truly consistent decision maker. Countless situations allowed the Boston players too much space down low, questionable decision making with the puck at the point, and pinches that should never even be considered. I expected the Columbus defensive core to make some solid progress after last season, and I fear that they have regressed instead. If they can return to the basics, taking advantage of sound positioning and conservative decision making, I still believe they can be a capable group. They just have to limit their mistakes.
Offensively, aside from the hard work of the lower end talent on the roster, the standouts remain entrenched in the Dubinsky, Atkinson, and Johansen line. Once again working relentlessly for opportunities, making smart passes, and knowing when to take a chance. Dubinsky is one of those guys who makes things happen on and off the puck, and his statistics this year show it. Thinking about the continuing trend of improvement on Johansen, it’s exciting. Each time he carries the puck into the zone he seems to be more confident, and scrambles in front of the net have been going his way lately, with a shot on goal or a smart pass. It’s exciting to watch him improve right now.
For everything positive I have to say about those three, I feel the exact opposite about Umberger, Anisimov, and Gaborik. There is an awful lot of salary cap space being thrown away on that threesome, combining for zero points , ten shots, and a minus two against Washington. Last night, they featured three shots on goal, zero points, and a minus two again. Were I in any sort of control, I would sit them in a room with game tape as compared to their harder working teammates and ask them to openly explain their logic in front of management. I want players who give their all on this team, and I really don’t think these three fit the bill right now. There is too much talent to justify the results they have been getting on the ice.
The final concern I have (for this recap) is regarding their shots overall. As I had mentioned earlier, while they are getting shots, I am not falling in love with their scoring opportunities. Johnson did not appear to be outstanding, yet finished the game with a .941 save percentage. This is a common trend for goalies playing Columbus, and it absolutely must stop in order to win games. Columbus has a great opportunity to get back into the winning ways at home against Montreal this evening. We are already approaching the end of the first quarter of the season, and I am sure the phones will begin to pick up soon.
Just win Columbus. Just.Win.
Carry the Flag.
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