Simply put, it wasn't easy for the Blue Jackets on Sunday in Carolina.
Not only did Columbus have to play one of the toughest teams in the league to deal with with the high-pressure Hurricanes, they had to do so just 22 hours after Saturday's game against Anaheim, 19 hours after it ended and 16 hours after the team arrived at its hotel in Rally before the match.
In that context, the team's 4-1 loss to Keane's side made some sense, but head coach Dean Evason was at least happy with his team's effort in the setback. There were some execution issues — giving up an early goal, a power play that failed to score to end a four-game goal streak, and giving up numbers late in both the first and second periods — but the Blue Jackets thought they held out toe-to-toe. Toe-to-toe with one of the NHL's best teams.
“We thought our energy level was good,” Evason said. “Obviously we played (Saturday night), but we had some bounce. We had some life. It's a really good hockey club (in Carolina). I think a couple of intermissions went our way early, and I think it could have been a different game.” .
There are few moral victories to be had in the NHL, and the cold truth is that the Blue Jackets lost that game to fall to 1-5-2 in their last eight games. It's been a difficult slide in which a team can't just point to one thing that went wrong, as has been the case in so many contests — they've led, drawn or been within a point in the third period of four of the seven losses — but it has committed enough Mistakes at critical times fail to achieve victory.
The same could be said in Carolina, where the Blue Jackets were able to stifle the Canes for long stretches of the game but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities.
“I feel like we played well,” defender Dante Fabbro said. “Obviously it was some structural things that probably hit us in the foot a little bit.”
The Blue Jackets are going through a tough stretch, but forward Kirill Marchenko said they believe they can come out of it, starting tonight in Tampa Bay.
He said: “We go into every match with confidence. “Every game, we try to win, we try to play like the No. 1 team on the ice. We don't think about things like standings, road games, home games. It doesn't matter. Just get into the game, do what you can do and try to win.”
Meet the Enemy: Tampa Bay Lightning
Head coach: John Cooper (season 12)
Team statistics: Goals per game: 4.00 (1st) | Defense Record: 2.89 (10th) | PP: 28.4 percent (3rd) | BK: 79.5 percent (16th place)
Narration: The Lightning have made the playoffs in 10 of the last 11 seasons and won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and '21, making the team a true NHL dynasty for more than a decade. But the signs that things are starting to go wrong are there, including the offseason departure of franchise icon Steven Stamkos as well as back-to-back first-round playoff exits. The team is still veteran, has a lot of star power, and knows how to win, even if it's only for a long period of time these days.
Team Leaders: Two-time Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov is off to another stellar start at age 31, as the Russian winger ranks third in the NHL with 43 points, including 14 goals. Brayden Point leads the team with 20 goals, including 16 in the last 17 games. The BOJ killer has 30 points in that period. Jake Guentzel (17 goals), Brandon Hagel (15) and Anthony Cirelli (12) also reached double digits in numbers.
In net, Andrei Vasilevskiy's streak of five consecutive top-five finishes in Vezina voting ended last year, but he could be back this year, as he starts 13-9-1 in 23 with a 2.41 GAA and .908 save percentage.
What's new: Stamkos, the team's all-time leader in games played, goals and points, left for Nashville in the offseason, but the Bolts found a ready-made replacement in Guentzel. Longtime defenseman Mikhail Sergachev was also dealt in the summer for talented young forward Connor Geekie and defenseman JJ Moser. Tampa Bay has won four of five and has outscored the opposition 25-9 in that span.
Trending: Columbus won the opening game of the season 7-6 at home on Nov. 21, raising the team's record to 6-15-4 in the series since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Former Central Bank of Jordan: Cam Atkinson is now 35 years old and signed a one-year deal in Tampa Bay this offseason, playing in 17 games and recording three goals and two assists.
2024-12-17 12:11:00
