The Blue Jackets’ losing skid reached three as Columbus dropped a 7-1 decision against New Jersey on Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center. It was the last game stateside as the team is now set to leave for Finland and two games Friday and Saturday against Colorado.
Game In Five Minutes
Video: CBJ Recap: Chinakhov scores in loss to Devils
Three Trending Topics
1. What a difference a week can make. Last Sunday, Columbus came to New York City and beat the Rangers by a 5-1 score to get back within a game of .500. The team was feeling good about itself, and then the wheels have promptly fallen off with losses this week to Arizona, Boston and New Jersey by a combined 17-4 score.
There’s no good team to play when you’re struggling like the Jackets are at the moment, but the Devils were a particularly bad draw. New Jersey came into the game averaging a 37.6-21.8 edge in shots on goal per game and dominated just about every stat from shots on goal (53-21) to high-danger scoring chances (12-1 at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick).
“That was ugly,” head coach Brad Larsen said afterward. “I’m the head coach. I have to make sure I get them better prepared for this. This one’s on me.”
“We just weren’t good enough, start to finish,” captain Boone Jenner said.
2. The Blue Jackets locker room was not a happy place postgame, with the players pledging to put their all into trying to turn things around.
“It’s inside our locker room,” Johnny Gaudreau said. “Try to work through this together. We’ve had a couple of bad games here in a row. I think our group, we’ll get together and we’ll try to figure out how to get out of this.”
“I just felt like tonight there was no competing on the ice,” Zach Werenski said. “We have to work for each other. It’s one of those things where when times get tough and get frustrating and you go through these losing streaks, guys try to do it on their own. This is a league you can’t do that. You have to win in fives. If you’re going to have success, you have to do it together as a group. We have to play harder for each other in certain situations.”
3. The schedule now provides an interesting wrinkle as the Blue Jackets fly overseas tonight to Finland for the NHL Global Series. There will be plenty of opportunity for some fun over the next few days, but the Blue Jackets will have to find themselves on the ice, too.
“We don’t play until Friday, so maybe this is the perfect time to reset,” Larsen said. “That’s what we’re hoping for.”
The trip will allow general manager Jarmo Kekalainen and players Patrick Laine and Joonas Korpisalo to show off their home country, and it might be just what the doctor ordered.
“It might be a good time for this trip, go overseas, get some time together and figure this out and get back to work on Friday,” Werenski said.
Quote Of The Game
Larsen on leaving goaltender Elvis Merzlikins in for the entirety of the game: “It wasn’t punishment. The last thing I want to do is embarrass Elvis. He worked his (butt) off tonight. We weren’t good enough in front of him. That was hard to watch.” , but he didn’t give up tonight. He worked his tail off.”
Nerd Stuff
- Yegor Chinakhov‘s goal gave him a 2-4-6 line in the last seven games.
- Kent Johnson picked up an assist on Chinakhov’s goal, giving him points in five of the last six games (3-2-5).
- Columbus lost a game for the first time when Chinakhov scored a goal (7-1-0).
- Boone Jenner played in his 599th game with the Blue Jackets, tying Nick Foligno for third all-time in team history.
- Columbus had a 27-13 edge in hits.
- The shot differential of minus-32 was the third worst in CBJ franchise history and the third most shots allowed in a game in team history.
Being Social
Shout out to the traveling CBJ fans in Sweden who checked out the game! See you soon.
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