Columbus Blue Jackets need new fourth line to become effective tool for coach Brad Larsen
They’re a work in progress.
It’s early, roles are still being settled in the Blue Jackets’ lineup and it’s too soon to say whether their new fourth line is a success. Sean Kuraly, Eric Robinson and Mathieu Olivier showed flashes of what coach Brad Larsen wants in the first five games, but there was a lot left to prove before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at Nationwide Arena.
“I don’t think they’ve played their best yet, I’ll put it that way,” Larsen said Thursday, prior to the Blue Jackets’ 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. “They’ve had their moments, but they’re building trust with me because I’ve put them in situations against other teams’ best (players) and they’re showing me they can do it.”
Showing it more consistently is the next objective.
The Jackets’ fourth line was up-tempo last season with Kuraly, a do-it-all center, skating between two fast wingers in Robinson and Justin Danforth. Their speed and skill forced turnovers, flipped the ice and created scoring chances off rushes.
Injuries plus Danforth not making the team out of training camp prevented them from playing together the whole season, but Larsen utilized the trio quite a bit. All three reached double digits in goals and their success sparked a curiosity about what they might do with a full season together.
That was before Olivier, a “heavy” forward, joined the mix in a July trade that sent a fourth-round pick to Nashville. Danforth is now skating with the Jackets’ third line after getting a brief spin with the top group as a fill-in for Patrik Laine (sprained elbow).
Olivier is filling Danforth’s former role as Kuraly’s right wing, replacing his skill and speed with size, grit and a lot of “bite,” as a guy willing to drop the gloves. That’s an element the Blue Jackets sorely lacked, but Larsen is quick to point out that Olivier has a “heavy” wrist shot and can win puck battles.
His hands can also be useful for more than punching, which he showed recently in St. Louis with a nice pass to spring Kuraly for a goal. That goal, however, was the only one the Jackets’ fourth line produced before facing Pittsburgh.
It's something they hope to change.
“We need to be a force defensively, so if the coach wants to put us out for every (defensive zone) draw, because ‘Kurals’ wins a lot of draws, and we get out of the (defensive) zone … that’s step one,” Olivier said. “Then it’s getting into the (offensive) zone and keeping possession, standing over pucks, creating stuff from our size and our speed. Our goal is to produce (a goal), as well, when we get out there.”
The challenge is figuring out how best to utilize their assets.
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Jackets’ new fourth line averaged just under nine minutes together at 5-on-5 in the first five games and were on the wrong side of scoring chances (21-8), high-danger chances (10-2) and goals (2-1). They’d also been on the ice for 21 more defensive-zone faceoffs than offensive-zone draws, which is indicative of an uphill battle against top players.
“It’s just sustained pressure and how important that can be for us to wear other teams down,” Robinson said. “It’s building an offensive-zone shift rather than being one-and-done off the rush.”
Kuraly takes an even simpler approach.
“As a fourth line, you’re our identity line, and when you lose games it’s hard to feel good about it,” he said. “A fourth line feels good about it when a team gets wins. You have to look at it as a process, but our goal is to help this team get wins.”
Blue Jackets rookie Kent Johnson pushing for first goal
After finishing last season with three assists in his first nine NHL games, rookie forward Kent Johnson is still looking for his first goal. He had two assists in four games before facing the Penguins, but came within inches of scoring against the Vancouver Canucks and Predators.
“I definitely want to get some more points here, but my confidence is pretty high,” said Johnson, whom the Blue Jackets selected fifth overall in 2021. “I know that I’m doing the right stuff and (the first goal’s) going to come. Maybe it’ll give me more confidence, but I don’t think I’m lacking confidence just because it hasn’t gone in yet.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets need new fourth line to gain consistency
