As discussed in week one of this new segment, the purpose of the "Boomers Up" and "Boomers Down" is to assess the weekly status of the Blue Jackets. We're also paying homage to Boomer, one of the worst best mascots in the history of sports. Don't act like you're not going to keep reading.
The Blue Jackets were 1-1-0 after their opening weekend, then won three straight to sit atop the Eastern Conference standings. It's hard to give out three "Boomers Down" for such an emphatic week, but don't worry, we found a way.
Three Boomers Up
Sonny Milano
Milano is the first repeat "Boomer Up", and how couldn't he be? After scoring in each of his first two games, Milano added both goals in a 2-1 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes. While not perfect, Milano adds an element the Blue Jackets have lacked, and his electrifying skill will be an asset in overtimes and in the shootout.
Perhaps more impressive? Milano has managed to make such an impact despite playing only 13:59 a night through five games. Is his 44.4 shooting percentage sustainable? Of course not, but considering he was responsible for 100 percent of goals scored in the second and third games of the season, it's hard to nitpick too much.
Artemi Panarin
Panarin was brought in to provide a dynamic scoring threat. Though he hadn't found pay dirt in his first three games, he scored the game-winning goal on a coast-to-coast effort against the New York Rangers. Simply put: that's a goal that very few NHL players can score.
The Russian sniper was brought in to do just that, but his playmaking skills have been a pleasant surprise. He has seven points in five games, tops on the team and tied for 20th in the league. And here's the kicker: his 9.1 shooting percentage is well below his career average. In two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, Panarin scored on 15.3 percent of his shots, signifying he could actually be under-producing.
Sergei Bobrovsky
It's hockey's finest cliche: your best players have to be your best players. Bobrovsky is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, and after the best statistical season of his career, his encore has been just as impressive.
Bobrovsky is 4-0-0 (tied for first in the NHL in wins) with a .952 save percentage (third) and a 1.47 goals against average (second). Through his first three games, he had only given up two combined goals, and both were caused by egregious turnovers that produced uncontested looks.
He wasn't stellar in the 5-4 OT win over the Minnesota Wild, but it's impossible to complain about Bobrovsky's play. He has given up just six goals in four games and is clearly on top of his game yet again, and this bodes incredibly well for the Blue Jackets as they move forward.
Three Boomers Down
Oliver Bjorkstrand
A quick glance at the season stat sheet doesn't do Bjorkstrand's season-to-date justice. Sure, he's posted three assists in five games and has averaged 12:49 of ice time per night, not that much lower than his career average of 14:41. But the coaching staff appears to have lost some faith in Bjorkstrand (to Milano's gain), as he played just 9:01 and 9:33 over the last two games, respectively.
In both games, he was relegated to fourth line duties alongside Lukas Sedlak and Zac Dalpe. Could it be an early-season funk and nothing more? Hopefully that's all it is, but there's no arguing that his demotion to the fourth line will hurt his production, and by extension, the expected goal output for the club.
Power Play Production
The Blue Jackets' power play ranks 27th of 31 teams in conversion rate, scoring on just 1-of-13 opportunities. They look a bit out of sorts, which is surprising given the talent on that top unit. Zach Werenski, Alexander Wennberg, and Panarin should be able to work through some early-season kinks, and it's promising that they're getting good looks (Panarin's one-timer in the Wild game rang the post LOUDLY).
On the other hand, the numbers don't lie and as an old coach of mine would say, "they don't draw pictures on the scoresheet." Translation: stop being cute and get the puck towards the net, because a tick-tack-goal counts the same as a greasy second-chance rebound. The Blue Jackets talked post-game on Saturday about being more decisive with shooting the puck, and we'll see how that manifests itself tomorrow night in Winnipeg.
Perhaps equally concerning is that the Blue Jackets have only 13 power play chances through five games — the lowest rate in the NHL. The Ottawa Senators have had 28 power plays in their first five games.
Defensive Gaffes
The Blue Jackets went 3-0 over the past week, but they committed a cardinal sin in each game that could have cost them points.
With less than 90 seconds to play and the Blue Jackets holding a 1-0 lead, Markus Hannikainen tried to clear the puck out of the defensive zone. Instead, he panicked and turned the the puck over to Jeff Skinner of the Carolina Hurricanes, who found the back of the net to force overtime.
Just after an expired power play, Seth Jones tried an ill-advised drop pass in the neutral zone, but found Kevin Hayes (recently out of the penalty box) instead. Hayes walked down the slot and beat Bobrovsky glove-side to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead.
Midway through the second period on Saturday, a one-goal deficit was doubled when David Savard gift-wrapped a pass to Minnesota's Zach Mitchell, who seconds later had his first career point, an assist on a goal by Landon Ferraro.
A Bobrovsky save would have made all three of these plays uneventful, if not forgettable. They were each an avoidable mistake, and all three goals show just how thin the margin can be in the NHL. One second, you're in good shape; the next, the puck is in the back of the net.
