The Blue Jackets get one more crack at the toughest stretch on their schedule tonight, and they need it to go right.
Columbus closes out what was expected to be a brutal 10-game run by hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena. After nine games in that stretch, the Blue Jackets are 4-5-0, and they still have a chance to claw their way back to a .500 mark through what could be the hardest part of their season.
The timing matters, too. Columbus is coming off a disappointing night at home against Florida on Tuesday, and two points feel urgent now.
Standing in the way is a Tampa Bay team that arrives in strong form after pounding Buffalo 8-3 last night. The Lightning have won four of their last five and, as another club with Stanley Cup aspirations, they bring plenty of firepower into this one.
There is also a path for the Blue Jackets if they play it smart. Tampa Bay has been on the road for a week, traveled into town last night, and may be without defenseman Erik Cernak.
Columbus should also see the Lightning’s backup goaltender. That makes a regulation win especially valuable for the Jackets, who need to take advantage of the situation.
Still, the message is simple: no more excuses.
The Blue Jackets have to be sharper in the middle of the ice, where Florida controlled the game on Tuesday. The analytics may have liked Columbus’ effort, but the eye test told a different story.
Too many shots came from the outside, with too little traffic in front, and that made life easy for the opposing goalie. Pucks kept hitting the chest with no rebounds to follow.
If Columbus wants a different result tonight, it has to get to the net and win that area.
It also has to stop passing up chances.
In the third period Tuesday, the Jackets repeatedly found themselves in dangerous spots and moved the puck away instead of shooting. On the few occasions they did get into prime scoring areas, they still hesitated.
That kind of hesitation looks like a team lacking confidence, especially from the forwards who are supposed to finish. If there’s a body in the lane, fine - don’t force it.
But there were also chances where the shot was clearly there and never came. Whatever is bogging down the offense needs to clear up fast, and that starts with putting pucks on net, ugly or not.
The other big piece is in goal. Jet Greaves is expected to start, and this is a night for him to settle in and deliver.
He is 2-6-0 on the season with a .880 save percentage and a 3.36 goals against average. The numbers tell part of the story, but the bigger issue is that he has not looked like himself.
He has appeared sluggish and uncomfortable, and Columbus needs the version of Greaves that earned him a $15 million dollar contract over the summer.
There should be at least one lineup change, too. Jake Christiansen appears set to return in place of Erik Gudbranson. The top three forward lines are also being reset to the way they opened the season.
This is the first of three meetings between the Blue Jackets and Lightning this year, and puck drop is set for 7:00 Eastern time.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Face Bench Uncertainty On Game Night
Rick Bowness was absent from the Blue Jackets game against the Tampa Bay Lightning because of an illness, leaving Columbus to adjust on the fly for a night when the bench looked a little different than usual. In his second season with the club, Bowness has brought plenty of experience to a young roster, and his presence behind the bench is usually part of the teams nightly routine.
Don Granato handled the coaching duties in Bowness place, giving Columbus a different voice in a game that already carried the usual stakes of an Eastern Conference matchup. For a team trying to keep its footing, any late change behind the bench adds another layer to manage, especially when it involves the NHLs oldest head coach being out of action on game night. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Let Another Home Game Slip Away In Brutal Third Period
Another home game got away from the Blue Jackets on a night when they had chances to settle in and build something against Tampa Bay. Columbus managed just one goal, from Matthew Knies, while Brandon Hagel powered the Lightning attack with two goals and an assist and Nikita Kucherov set the table with two helpers in a 3-1 loss that left the building with the familiar feeling of a missed opportunity.
Dennis Hildeby backed up the win with 28 saves, and the game stayed within reach long enough for Columbus to believe it could still turn. Instead, the third period tilted the wrong way, and the Blue Jackets were left to sort through another frustrating finish against a division opponent that did enough in the key moments to leave Columbus searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Need Answers On Sean Monahan
Sean Monahans night ended early in Tampa, and the Blue Jackets suddenly have another injury situation to sort through. The veteran forward had one assist in 9:58 of ice time before leaving the game against the Lightning with an upper-body injury, a development that came in a 3-1 loss Columbus could ill afford as it tried to keep pace.
The immediate concern now is how long Monahan might be unavailable and what it means for a lineup that already had to adjust on the fly. Columbus did not have him back for the rest of the game, and with the team looking for stability up front, any absence from a center with his experience would force another round of shuffling at a time when the Blue Jackets need answers more than they need another question. [Read more 🡒]