Blue Jackets head coach Rick Bowness will be out for at least the next two games because of illness, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. He also missed Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia, and he won’t travel with the club for Tuesday’s road game against the Islanders. General manager Don Waddell didn’t completely shut the door on Bowness joining the team later in the trip, but for now he’s listed as day-to-day.
It’s been a difficult first full season for Bowness in Columbus. The Blue Jackets, who made a second-half push after he was hired last season before fading late, have struggled badly on offense this year.
Through 17 games, they’ve scored just 40 goals, the fewest in the league, and they enter tonight’s action in last place in the Eastern Conference. Don Granato will remain the interim head coach until Bowness is ready to return.
There’s better news on the Capitals’ blue line. Rasmus Sandin and Vincent Desharnais are both set to travel with the team on its upcoming road trip, Sammi Silber of The District Standard reported. Sandin still hasn’t played this season as he works back from offseason knee surgery, while Desharnais is recovering from an emergency appendectomy last month.
Desharnais was expected to miss four to six weeks, and he’s now about three weeks into that recovery, so he appears to be tracking toward that original window. Sandin’s recovery timeline was six to nine months after his late-April procedure, and he looks like he’ll be around the middle of that range once he’s cleared. Washington will need to clear two roster spots before both defensemen can be activated.
In New Jersey, defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok has now joined Brett Pesce among the Devils’ players dealing with illness, team reporter Amanda Stein noted. Kolyachonok was just recalled Thursday and managed an assist in that game, his first point of the season, but he’ll now miss at least one contest. His absence opens the door for Anton Silayev to make his NHL debut.
In Other News...
Ovechkins Slump Is Raising A Bigger Capitals Question
Alexander Ovechkins start has become one of the more notable subplots around the Capitals, even as the team has found more scoring balance elsewhere. Through 17 games, he has managed only one goal, a sharp departure from the production Washington has come to expect from its captain and franchise centerpiece. The drop has come with fewer attempts and a slightly different usage pattern, as the Capitals lean on a deeper group of forwards and adjust how they deploy him on special teams.
For a player whose career has long been defined by runs of hot finishing, the larger concern is less about one cold stretch than what it says about the teams offensive identity moving forward. Ovechkin has a history of turning things around, and Washington has every reason to believe the goals can still come. Even so, the way his role has shifted is worth watching, because it hints at a Capitals offense that may no longer revolve around the same familiar script. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Catch Devils With A Blue-Line Problem At The Right Time
The Devils blue line has been under pressure for a while, and the latest update only adds to the uncertainty. Johnathan Kovacevic was moved to injured reserve retroactive to Nov. 10 after hurting his ankle against the Winnipeg Jets, and New Jersey has had to keep shuffling bodies just to stay afloat on defense.
Anton Silayev was recalled from Utica as a precaution, giving the Devils another option while they manage the absences already forcing Vladislav Kolyachonok into action. For Washington, it is the kind of opening worth watching closely, because a depleted back end can change how a game is played long before the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]