The Columbus Blue Jackets lost a winnable game against the New York Rangers and they will be kicking themselves if these points come back to matter in the Metropolitan Division race.
Losing by a score of 5-3 would indicate a blow out of sorts, but the Blue Jackets let it slip away allowing three power play goals in short order putting the Rangers permanently ahead in the third period.
The odd part about it all is that there are solutions aplenty throughout the lineup.
Panarin Off The Schneid
Trying to find the silver lining in a difficult loss is tough. Having all-world goal scorer Artemi Panarin get a goal and end his goalless drought is a very, very good silver lining.
Breadman scoreth. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/8NDnoNpVDI
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) November 7, 2017
He had gone since the last New York Rangers game (Oct. 13) without a goal and because of it, his frustration showed on the ice. It was the longest goal-less drought of his career. Are the floodgates going to open, or is this just a one-off for the Russian winger? Goal scorers are streaky and it looks like Panarin is no different.
Penalty Stink
What's there to really say, other than it sucked? The Rangers were able to make plays at will and they were able to find the open lanes with ease. The real problem, here, were the penalties that the Blue Jackets took to set all this trouble in motion.
The most egregious was Zac Dalpe's fly-by elbowing infraction. That play turned the tide of the game and put the nail in the Blue Jackets coffin. The PK has been strong for most of the season (top 10 in the NHL) but it fell apart in one period. Could the absence of Matt Calvert really be that big of an issue?
Where, Oh, Where Did The Fourth Line Go?
The penalty that Dalpe took was the reason the fourth line was pinned to the bench, but the rest of his line mates didn't do anything damning. The line actually had one of the highest shot differentials on the entire team; all of them, however, played less than seven minutes each.
Milano is an offensive dynamo and Hannikainen was on a goal-scoring "streak." Could they really not be worked into the rotation or was it a statement that head coach John Tortorella was unhappy with the entire unit?
Injury Issue
Missing Cam Atkinson and Calvert is always going to be tough. The two help the Blue Jackets offense and defense churn. Atkinson is a catalyst for the power play and Calvert is a catalyst for the penalty kill. They both were sorely missed. Add Lukas Sedlak to that list and the Blue Jackets have a real problem on the injury front.
It sounds like Atkinson may return to the lineup against the Nashville Predators, but is his presence alone going to allow the Blue Jackets to be better offensively? At the very least it is going to push players down in the lineup and hopefully give the Blue Jackets more significant depth.
What Is Wennberg?
Alexander Wennberg could have the No. 1 center slot on lockdown, but his season thus far has been...off. He hasn't been able to do much with the puck after last season where he put it on everyone's tape each and every time he is on the ice. He still has a good point total and his shot differential is good but would you ever guess that he led Blue Jackets' forwards in time on ice against the Rangers?
He could be making a statement this year but more often than not he has hung back in the shadows. Wennberg is the next forward that needs to get going.
