Elvis Merzlikins is out 1-2 weeks, Patrik Laine is out 3-4 weeks, Nick Blankenburg is out 6-8 weeks, Adam Boqvist is out 4-6 weeks, Jakub Voracek with no timetable for his return, Zach Werenski is out for the season, Justin Danforth, out for the season, and Jake Bean looks like his season will be over as well pending test results.
Eight starters are out for a while or the rest of the season. Yet, a funny thing is happening in Columbus, Ohio; the Blue Jackets are playing their best hockey of the season.
With points in four games in a row and coming off a week in which the Columbus Blue Jackets went 3-0-1, the battered Blue Jackets have shown both resilience and growth. The injuries have given way to more consistent play and players stepping up.
The Columbus blueline now has Gavin Bayreuther and Marcus Bjork in the lineup. Bjork, who signed a one-year free-agent contract during the summer, has been a standout player. He has quickly picked up the man-to-man coverage and is quarterbacking one of the Blue Jackets’ power play lines.
Team Captain Boone Jenner scored four of his seven goals in the 3-0-1 stretch and has played even more physically, truly leading by example. Johnny Gaudreau netted seven points this past week. Perhaps the best move head coach Brad Larsen made was moving Kent Johnson to the top line with Jenner and Gaudreau. Johnson’s playmaking, Gaudreau’s skills, and Jenner’s grit have been nothing short of pure magic for the Blue Jackets.
The biggest improvement has been the lack of odd-man rushes the Blue Jackets have given up. Before the rash of injuries, the Blue Jackets lead the league in giving up odd-man rush goals. That has come to a grinding halt. Fewer defensive players are shooting the puck, allowing them to be in a position to get back before the team has too many offensive-minded defensemen.
Before the injury bug hit, the Blue Jackets looked close to figuring things out. Their play had improved. However, all of the injuries appear to have gelled the team together. Players such as Gustav Nyquist, Cole Sillinger, Sean Kuraly, Mathieu Olivier, and Vladislav Gavrikov have taken their game to another level.
The depth of the Blue Jackets organization also needs to be acknowledged. To lose eight starters should,/would sink many teams. Credit must be given to Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen, who has drafted well and fully displayed the fruit of his work.
Can the Blue Jackets keep rolling? That is the question if this past week is any indication; the answer may just be yes.
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