Another week is in the books for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and while they only played two games (and lost one) this week, things certainly seem to be trending up for Ohio's hockey team. Here's what we learned this week.
Sometimes, the Hockey Gods are unkind
My goodness, Saturday night was weird.
The Blue Jackets dominated the majority of the game but Corey Crawford absolutely neutralized them, giving up just one goal on 38 shots for Columbus.
How dominant was Columbus?
The Blue Jackets have 30 t h i r t y scoring chances through two periods, per @NatStatTrick. #CBJ
— Rob Mixer (@RobMixer) October 21, 2018
Any other night, those kind of numbers would result in a blowout win for Columbus. Somehow, the Jackets did not hold a lead the entire night. Marcus Kruger and Patrick Kane scored in the third period to push it to a 3-1 Chicago lead before Kane’s empty-netter put the game away for good.
Just goes to show that a little bit of puck luck can go a long way – and Chicago sure got some of it on Saturday night.
Other times, everything seems to go right
While Saturday was a showcase of two good goaltenders (more on that later) both playing very well, Thursday was anything but.
Sergei Bobrovsky gave up a couple of weird, soft goals to the Philadelphia Flyers, but luckily for Columbus, the guy at the other end of the ice had an off-night as well – and Columbus was sure to capitalize.
That’s not to say that Calvin Pickard’s ineptitude was the sole reason for the Blue Jackets win – Cam Atkinson had an incredible game and the Jackets sure seemed to have their legs – but a few of Pickard’s goals were basically gifts. Anthony Duclair scored what’s arguably the goal of the year so far, but it’s still probably one that Pickard should have stopped. Hey, we’re not complaining.
Nothing illustrates Thursday night quite like Josh Anderson’s goal, though. In a slapstick comedy of errors, Christian Folin fell on the ice, lost the puck to Josh Anderson, then watched as Pickard somehow let the ensuing backhander leak through.
If karma is real, the Blue Jackets’ drastically different puck luck in those two games would sure seem to be an example of it.
Torts Sticking By Bob
Saturday night may have been the first good performance of Sergei Bobrovsky’s season, even if the stat sheet doesn’t quite reflect that.
Bobrovsky wasn’t tested a whole lot on Saturday night, facing just 22 shots before being pulled for the extra attacker, but he was rock solid. That effort came on the back of a strange Thursday night, as our own Paul Berthelot put it.
Still, though, John Tortorella has been clear that these early season struggles don’t undo an extensive body of work that’s seen Bobrovsky win multiple Vezina Trophies, talking extensively about his faith in Bobrovsky after morning skate on Thursday.
While Bobrovsky drew some heat after the Blue Jackets' 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay last Saturday (during which Tortorella left him in the entire time), Tortorella was steadfast in saying that Bobrovsky is still the guy moving forward – and that won't change any time soon.
After an encouraging effort against Chicago and, at times, against Philadelphia, Tortorella's patience looks like it may be rewarded.
