How will they fare in October? Turns out, not so great.
That was the question we asked heading into the regular season three weeks ago today. With much excitement heading into the 2022-23 campaign, we painted the picture of what appeared to be a tough test for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the month of October.
After a disappointing, but not too surprising 3-7-0 October mark, the Blue Jackets turn the page on the calendar and look to right the ship before things unravel completely.
Following the latest worst loss of the season—a 7-1 defeat—on Oct. 30 against the New Jersey Devils, the Blue Jackets head into November with eight home games at Nationwide Arena, with one technical home game in Tampere, Finland as part of the 2022 NHL Global Series against the Colorado Avalanche.
Key dates in the month include two matchups against John Tortorella when he returns to Nationwide Arena with his surprising Philadelphia Flyers.
Columbus' has its longest homestand of the year with six games starting against the Flyers on Nov. 15 and they have four games inside the Metropolitan division for the month.
| November | 4 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 |
|
*Tampere, Finland @ Avalanche |
*Tampere, Finland Avalanche |
Flyers | @ Islanders | Flyers | Canadiens | Red Wings | Panthers | Canadiens | Islanders | @ Predators | Golden Knights |
The Blue Jackets' month of October was as tough as predicted, as the team started the season 0-3-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and St. Louis Blues. All three teams with deep playoff aspirations. There are no easy games on the schedule but few would have predicted the Blue Jackets to throttle the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden and be throttled at home two nights later against the Arizona Coyotes.
The defense and goaltending were question marks heading into the season and those weaknesses have only been magnified that much more after a revolving door in between the pipes of late, and the expected blue line struggles we already knew going back to last season.
Despite the power play being a weakness for the team dating back to the middle of the 2016-17 season, there is so much talent on the unit in the form of Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Zach Weresnki, and others that it seemed only a matter of time before the offensive fireworks commence. That could still be the case, eventually, but as it stands, the Blue Jackets are 0-for-the-season after taking part in the wrong kind of history last Friday night against the Boston Bruins.
The #CBJ are 0 for 23 on the power play. Bad, but nowhere near the record.
— CBJ Stats (@BlueJacketStats) October 29, 2022
The 1997-98 Toronto Maple Leafs went 59 power plays between goals, including 0-53 in December. They finished the season at 11.4% on the man-up and last in their division.
The good news is the power play can only go up as the man advantage is eventually going to score. Maybe the first goal will set off a flurry of power play goals. But the impotence of the power play, and the struggle for which the units have in even starting a breakout, continue to be the most damning indictment.
Head coach Brad Larsen doesn't like to make excuses. Keeping in perspective where the Blue Jackets are in year two of their retooling and having played a tough slate of games against legitimate playoff teams and Stanley Cup contenders aside, the team has failed to resemble any kind of consistency from one period to the next throughout much of the season so far.
The most complete 60-minute effort occurred at The Garden on Oct. 23 against the Rangers. They've had consecutive home games against the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators in which they started slow, allowing multiple first period goals, before furious third period rallies to win those two games.
They saw a fast start against the Penguins dissolve into a 6-3 loss. A slow start against the Arizona Coyotes was compounded into a 6-3 loss.
Trying to take stock in a team that relied on the comeback win last season—a franchise-high 23 out of 37 last season—and expecting similar results for success is unsustainable. Slow starts in games and expect the offense to come to life late isn't the ingredient for success. Little was done to improve the defense from a season ago. Even the subtraction of Oliver Bjorkstrand, a really productive player on both sides of the ice, is a loss on the offensive and defensive side of the puck.
Instant gratification is not necessarily synonymous with sports. Especially rebuilding teams. While the wins and losses and eventual playoffs might not come as quickly as one hopes, there's one constant theme that we've about from players and coaches way too much already: Questioning the compete level of the team on a nightly basis.
"We've got to get more competitive in our one-on-ones and in different areas first," Larsen said following Friday's 4-0 loss against the Bruins. "We can't fool ourselves here and say it's just bad breaks.
"Today, the competitive level, especially in the second (period), and parts in the first, too easy to get through guys."
The reality is November is the time to get right. The accountability and rhetoric, such as what the team needs to do, have to take shape on the ice now.
Maybe a trip to Finland is just what the team needs to bond, get away from the country, and play a little hockey.
