Columbus Blue Jackets fumble two late leads, fall to New Jersey Devils in OT: 5 takeaways
Taking three days off during the NHL’s holiday break didn’t do anything for the Blue Jackets’ fortunes while leading late.
Another strong effort during a challenging travel day slipped away Wednesday night at Prudential Center, adding two more blown leads late in the third period to their running total during a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. Despite holding leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the game, the Jackets again couldn’t make any of them stand up, coughing up the final two in the last 4:09 of regulation.
"Obviously the point's huge (in OT), but we're here for two," forward Justin Danforth said. "It's just another case of a third period (collapse) and that's it."
The Blue Jackets (11-18-7) pressured the Devils in OT until Kent Johnson lost the puck while attempting a shot from the slot. Timo Meier pounced, turning it into a breakaway and ended the game by sliding the puck through goalie Elvis Merzlikins' pads.
Dawson Mercer scored the Devils’ first tying goal of the third at 15:51 to make it 2-2, punishing the Blue Jackets for Jake Bean's turnover off an intercepted exit attempt. Speedy rookie Luke Hughes, a defenseman, then went coast-to-coast through all five Blue Jackets skaters to tie it 3-3 with 1:25 left, countering Yegor Chinakhov’s go-ahead goal 61 seconds earlier that put Columbus up 3-2.
“That kid was skating, and he was coming in hot,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “We got caught in (a line) change, so it left a hole open in the neutral zone and they took advantage of it.”
Bean and Danforth scored the Jackets' first two goals. Merzlikins allowed four goals on 35 shots in the loss. Adding further salt to the Jackets’ wounds was an apparent leg injury sustained by star defenseman Zach Werenski in the second period.
Here are five takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets still struggling with late leads
The “what if?” game for the Blue Jackets is something to behold.
They’ve blown third period leads in 10 games for a total of 11 blown leads in that period, including the two against the Devils (18-13-2). The Jackets are now 2-2-6 when coughing up third period leads. They’ve also blown leads seven times in the final five minutes of regulation for a 2-1-3 record in those collapses.
Further perplexing was Hughes’ goal, which was the Jackets' sixth allowed with the opponent holding a 6-on-5 advantage. That number includes four times when the Jackets allowed 6-on-5 goals with the opponent's net empty while leading near the end of regulation. All four were scored with less than two minutes left to play to tie games, including three with less than a minute left.
“That’s something we definitely have to clean up,” defenseman Damon Severson said. “It seems like the 6-on-5 goals are all different, though. It’s not like it’s the same repetitive theme. The one tonight was off the rush and Hughes comes down with a ton of speed. He just goes right through our forwards and then comes down and rips it.”
If there's a bright side, it's the Blue Jackets continually putting themselves in position to win games late in third periods.
“That was an issue here when I played with the Devils,” Severson said. “We cleaned that up and started winning a lot more hockey games.”
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski facing another possible long-term injury
After missing all but 13 games last season with a shoulder tear and missing two more games early this season with a severe thigh contusion, Zach Werenski is likely to be sidelined again.
After breaking up a shot by New Jersey’s Ondrej Palat near the midpoint of the second, Werenski tripped over the Devils forward and fell awkwardly. He appeared to twist his left ankle or knee and couldn’t put weight on his left leg leaving the ice.
"He's going to see our doctors (Thursday)," Vincent said. "The way he was playing right now, he was dominant out there. So, it's going to create a big hole, but hopefully it won't be too long."
Should Werenski miss more than a few games, it will be another giant injury loss for the Blue Jackets ― who are already without captain Boone Jenner (fractured jaw), star forward Patrik Laine (fractured collarbone), defenseman Adam Boqvist (shoulder sprain), defenseman Nick Blankenburg (upper body) and forward Jack Roslovic (fractured ankle).
Roslovic skated during the Jackets' morning skate Wednesday and is expected to return for one of two games this weekend in a back-to-back set against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.
Against the Devils, Werenski was alternating shifts playing with rookie David Jiricek and veteran Erik Gudbranson on the top defense pairing. Without him, the remaining five defensemen rotated shifts amongst each other. Andrew Peeke, a healthy scratch in New Jersey, will likely return Friday against Toronto and a defenseman may be recalled from AHL Cleveland if Blankenburg isn't ready to be activated off IR.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson gets his 'Welcome back' ovation against New Jersey Devils
Severson was out with an oblique injury the first two times the Blue Jackets played the Devils, so Wednesday was his first time facing his former team.
At the first TV break in the first period, the veteran defenseman was welcomed back to New Jersey with a nice video montage of his time with the Devils, the team that selected him in the second round (60th overall) of the 2012 NHL draft. Severson’s wife, Drey, also made the trip to visit with longtime friends and take in a special evening for both of them.
“It’s exciting,” Severson said. “This is all she’s ever known, and she was the veteran wife on the team, per se. Now to get a chance to come back and see some of her old friends and watch me play my first game back, it’s exciting. I don’t think it’s going to be a regular thing, but we’re going to try to enjoy this one for sure, and have it be a memorable one.”
One of Severson’s memories from his first game as a visiting player at Prudential Center was the Jackets’ arrival. After nine seasons of heading to the Devils’ locker room, located on the opposite side of the arena, he felt a little lost getting off the bus.
“Honestly, I walked in behind a lot of (teammates) because they knew where they were going and I didn’t know where I was going,” he said. “So, I was like, ‘All right, I’ll just follow you guys.’”
Justin Danforth continues to shine on Columbus Blue Jackets' top line
Danforth’s goal was his ninth of the season, putting him on pace to score 20 if he plays all 82 games.
That’s a milestone every NHL player sets out to reach each season and is a benchmark that comes with widespread respect for those who score that many or exceed it. It’d be especially memorable for Danforth, a 30-year old forward who missed almost all of last season with a torn shoulder labrum. He also took a long, winding path just to get to the NHL in 2021-22 with the Blue Jackets at age 27.
It’s only 36 games into the season, but Danforth is taking advantage of an opportunity to play on the Jackets’ top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Fantilli.
“A 20-goal pace is kind of what most guys are looking for,” Danforth said. “Obviously, it’d be an achievement, but I just have to continue what I’m doing.”
Columbus Blue Jackets overcome travel challenges to give New Jersey Devils a scare
The NHL’s holiday break created a challenging travel day for the Blue Jackets, who held their morning skate in Columbus, 90 minutes earlier than they would for a home game, and then flew to Newark, New Jersey.
After getting to their hotel early afternoon, there was just enough time for players to nap before hopping back on the bus late afternoon and heading to the game. For players who traveled home to celebrate the holiday with friends and family, all of that followed their individual trip back to Columbus. The same-day travel was necessitated by the NHL’s mandated three-day off period, which precludes teams from traveling on any of the days.
“We said that this morning, that it feels like the schedule of the morning of a preseason game … but it’s not,” Vincent said. “It matters. That one matters. Is it hard? I mean, we’re so fortunate to travel the way we do. We had a short 15-minute skate this morning, came here, guys had a nap. After three days off, we’re excited to be back.”
Get more Columbus Blue Jackets talk on the Cannon Fodder podcast
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 takeaways from Columbus Blue Jackets stumble in OT New Jersey Devils
