At one point this season, the Columbus Blue Jackets boasted the top power play in the National Hockey League.
The power play was so hot that at times the second unit would not even get to see the ice because a goal would have already been scored by the first unit. The 1-3-1 power play seemed to be firing on all cylinders for about two-thirds of the season before other teams began to catch on and shut it down.
Teams began to focus on stopping the Blue Jackets from entering the zone on the power play. Whether it was Alexander Wennberg, Cam Atkinson or Seth Jones carrying the puck into the zone, teams found a way to break up plays at the blue line. Another leading cause of the failing power play was that teams were now taking away the pass from the half-wall to the slot. The Blue Jackets used the tip play with much success with Sam Gagner tipping in passes from Wennberg, and when that was taken away they would look for Atkinson on the backdoor.
The Blue Jackets power play struggled mightily coming into the playoffs. Since Mar. 1, the Blue Jackets power play percentage was 11.9 percent, 28th in the NHL over the last six weeks of the regular season. Not great.
While Columbus had no trouble scoring goals at even strength, the power play played a crucial role in the team’s success during the early part of the season.
In both Game 1 and Game 2 of this first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Blue Jackets earned two power plays and failed to capitalize on either. Heading into a must-win Game 3, the Blue Jackets needed a resurgence from their power play if they had any chance to win the game and get back into the series.
Luckily, for the hometown fans, the power play got off to a hot start when Blue Jackets rookie defenseman Zack Werenski found the back of the net off a cross-ice pass from Sam Gagner.
Werenski’s heavy wrist shot beat Marc-Andre Fleury glove side from the top of the left circle, earning his his first career Stanley Cup playoff point. He also became the youngest player in Blue Jackets history to earn a point in the playoffs.
