In 2022-23, the Blue Jackets went 15-32-3 in their first 50 games and recorded 33 points. By points percentage, they were last in the league. Through 50 games in 2023-24, they are slightly better, posting a record of 16-24-10 29th and are 29th in the league with 42 points, but still sit at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.
Let's look at how this year's Blue Jackets stack up to last year's team through 50 games.
Note: All five-on-five, expected goals, and per-60 minutes stats are from naturalstattrick.com.
All Situations
| '22-'23 | Stat (Through 50 games) | '23-'24 | Year Over Year Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.54 (29th) | Goals For/Game | 2.92 (23rd) | +0.38 |
| 3.86 (30th) | Goals Against/Game | 3.66 (31st) | +0.2 |
| 28.7 (29th) | Shots For/Game | 29.5 (22nd) | +0.8 |
| 35.1 (31st) | Shots Against/Game | 33.3 (29th) | +1.8 |
| 2.76 (26th) | Expected Goals For/60 Mins | 2.78 (29th) | +0.2 |
| 3.31 (26th) | Expected Goals Against/60 | 3.39 (29th) | -0.06 |
| 8.84% (29th) | Shooting Percentage | 9.9% (16th) | +1.06% |
| 89% (28th) | Save Percentage | 89% (28th) | +0 |
| .978 (31st) | PDO (SH% + SV%) | .989 (24th) | +0.011 |
| 47.7% (26th) | Face-Off % | 47% | -0.7% |
The Blue Jackets are marginally better in every category in the above chart except for expected goals against/60 and face-off percentage, which only decreased minimally. However, the improvements, especially in goals against per game, are not nearly close to good enough if this team wants to contend for a playoff spot. Scoring 2.92 goals per game only leads to success when there is great team defense, which is something the Blue Jackets seem eons away from doing.
Five-On-Five
| '22-'23 | Stat (Through 50 games) | '23-'24 | Year Over Year Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.09 (29th) | Goals For/60 | 2.66 (11th) | +0.57 |
| 3.27 (31st) | Goals Against/60 | 2.96 (29th) | +0.31 |
| 38.99% (30th) | Goals For % | 47.35% (25th) | +8.36% |
| 52.58 (25th) | Shot Attempts For/60 | 59.02 (19th) | +6.44 |
| 63.73 (31st) | Shot Attempts Against/60 | 64.92 (28th) | -1.19 |
| 45.21% (29th) | Shot Attempts For % | 47.62% (24th) | +2.41% |
| 27.22 (29th) | Shots For/60 | 28.34 (21st) | +1.12 |
| 34.17 (31st) | Shots Against/60 | 31.7 (28th) | +2.47 |
| 44.35% (29th) | Shots For % | 47.2% (25th) | +2.85% |
| 25.25 (27th) | Scoring Chances For/60 | 26.5 (24th) | +1.25 |
| 30.62 (27th) | Scoring Chances Against/60 | 30.06 (28th) | +0.56 |
| 45.20% (27th) | Scoring Chances For % | 46.85% (25th) | +1.65% |
| 9.45 (31st) | High-Danger Chances For/60 | 10.23 (27th) | +0.78 |
| 12.38 (22nd) | High-Danger Chances Against/60 | 11.65 (22nd) | +0.73 |
| 43.29% (28th) | High-Danger Chances For % | 46.76% (25th) | +3.47% |
| 2.28 (29th) | Expected Goals For/60 Mins | 2.47 (24th) | +0.19 |
| 2.82 (27th) | Expected Goals Against/60 Mins | 2.86 (28th) | -0.04 |
| 44.69% (28th) | Expected Goals For % | 46.35% (26th) | +1.66% |
| 7.69 (29th) | Shooting Percentage | 9.4 (8th) | +1.71% |
| 90.4% (29th) | Save Percentage | 90.7% (25th) | +0.3% |
| .981 (29th) | PDO (SH% + SV%) | 1.001 (13th) | +0.02 |
The team's improvements at five-on-five have been more significant, specifically their goals for percentage and the 0.57 goals/game increase along with allowing 0.31 fewer goals/game. While their expected goals against/60 slightly increased, so did their expected goals for percentage, which is another positive sign.
Special Teams
| '22-'23 | Stat (Through 50 games) | '23-'24 | Year Over Year Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.5% (28th) | Power Play % | 14.7% (26th) | -1.8% |
| 76.7% (21st) | Penalty Kill % | 77.6% (23rd) | +0.9% |
The power play decreasing from an already putrid number is concerning, as is the minimal increase in the penalty kill. After having the second-best PK in the league through November at 89.2%, they've registered the league's worst PK at 68% since then.
Overall, this team has improved marginally compared to this point last season, but if they want to start winning, those improvements will have to grow significantly.
