The Columbus Blue Jackets are trying to kick-start an offense that has been stuck in low gear, and Monday’s practice brought a noticeable shakeup. With just 29 goals through 12 games - last in the NHL - head coach Rick Bowness went back to the blender and reworked his forward groups ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche.
The biggest move sent Matthew Knies back onto the line he opened the season on with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson. That trio has already shown it can drive play, and Johnson has been at the center of it all. He leads the team with seven goals and five assists, while he and Fantilli have been the Blue Jackets’ most dangerous offensive pair, combining for 11 goals.
Even with that production, the Jackets still need more from the rest of the roster. Zach Werenski has not scored yet this season after a 22-goal Norris Trophy-winning campaign last year, but his start hasn’t been a problem so much as a reminder that the points are still coming in other ways. He has 10 assists in the first 12 games, and that remains a major part of his value.
The young core has carried a heavy load. Johnson, Fantilli, Denton Mateychuk, and Cole Sillinger have accounted for 18 of Columbus’ 29 goals, which works out to 62%.
Knies, meanwhile, gets another chance to rediscover the spark he flashed on opening night, when he scored twice alongside the top-line duo. Since then, he hasn’t been able to recreate that kind of production in other combinations, and now he gets another look in a spot that helped define him early.
The other major change gives Luca Del Bel Belluz a long-awaited shot in the top six. He’ll center a line with Valeri Nichushkin and Conor Garland, moving up from a fourth-line role and replacing Sean Monahan at second-line center. The Blue Jackets have wanted to see what Del Bel Belluz could do with better talent around him, and this is the clearest opportunity he’s had.
Del Bel Belluz sounded eager for the chance.
“I think it’ll be good. Val is a very powerful forward, obviously playing against his old team tonight, so he’s going to have hopefully some extra jump.
He is someone I have watched a lot and practiced in the games, and someone I am excited to play with,” said Del Bel Belluz. “Gar, he’s kind of smaller size, but really skilled and really fast, and makes a lot of great plays, so I am definitely excited to play with him as well.”
He has put up big numbers at the junior level and in the American Hockey League, but his NHL breakout has yet to fully arrive. Tonight gives him a real chance to make a mark.
Garland could use the help too. He has bounced between the second and fourth lines and has not recorded a point in the first 12 games. His pointless streak now stretches to 20 games dating back to last season, and he also carries a 26-game goal drought.
Monahan’s move down the lineup is one of the more surprising parts of the shuffle, but it doesn’t mean he’s being pushed aside. Bowness said Monday that Monahan will still get his minutes, and his value goes well beyond scoring. His defense, faceoff work, forechecking, and ability to block shots remain important pieces for this team.
The Blue Jackets are coming off a one-goal effort against the Dallas Stars, and they need the offense to climb quickly. They’ll also be facing what is expected to be Mackenzie Blackwood in goal for Colorado, with the Avalanche coming off a win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Columbus will try to use its speed and size to press the pace, especially with Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon on the other side.
The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. at Nationwide Arena, with Columbus opening a two-game homestand before a three-game homestand next week.
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For a Columbus defense that has spent much of the season sorting through options, Christiansens rise offers a familiar kind of value: a player who has kept working, stayed ready and forced his way back into the conversation. He has appeared in 68 games this season after getting into 40 last year, and the latest signs suggest the Jackets may have found another workable answer on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
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Blue Jackets Fans May Hate This Maple Leafs Trade Buzz
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For Blue Jackets fans, the mere mention of Werenski in that kind of rumor mill is enough to turn heads, even if it remains nothing more than trade buzz for now. Any serious pursuit of a player of that stature would come with a steep price and a lot of moving parts, which is exactly why these discussions matter to Columbus even before anything concrete develops. [Read more 🡒]