The Columbus Blue Jackets caught the "Vegas Flu."
Not everybody leaves Las Vegas a winner, and simply put, the Blue Jackets weren't at their best in their first trip to T-Mobile Arena. On the other hand, it seemed like everything that the Golden Knights touch seem to turn to, well, gold.
With the loss, the Blue Jackets continued their recent struggles, as the club has just two regulation wins since Dec. 14.
Let's diagnose what went wrong in a 6-3 loss for the Blue Jackets:
SECOND PERIOD EMBARRASSMENT
What just happened?
After taking a 2-1 lead on a Josh Anderson goal 6:46 into the second period, the Blue Jackets...stopped. In an 82-game season, you have to be careful to avoid hyperbole. But that was probably their worst period of the season.
Shots in the period were 20-7 in favor of Vegas, and that feels lenient. According to NaturalStatTrick, Vegas had 67.4% of shot attempts for in the period and registered six (six!) high-danger scoring chances. For comparison's sake, the Jackets tallied five in the game. They were completely overwhelmed by the Golden Knights swarming in the second frame.
VEGAS: AS ADVERTISED
I'll be honest, I was skeptical about the idea of having an NHL team in Las Vegas, Nevada, but I'll take the 'L' on that one. The city and crowd are clearly rallying behind the team, and having a playoff atmosphere for every home game is a sure-fire way to win over people like, well, me.
There are several chicken-or-the-egg type of scenarios at play here.
Is the crowd amazing because the team seemingly can't lose at home? Or is the team amazing because of the incredible support they're getting from the crowd every night? Were the Blue Jackets on the wrong side of a three-day fun-fest? Or is Vegas an incredibly fast team that seems to capitalize on every puck possession?
In both instances, it's probably somewhere in the middle, but know this: Vegas is the real deal.
WILD BILL DOMINATES
It's about time we collectively consider the possibility that William Karlsson is an impostor Or that he used witchcraft to obtain Connor McDavid's skills.
I kid, but in all seriousness, it's unfathomable to comprehend how he's turned into such a dynamic player in the time since he's left the Blue Jackets. Having watched the Swede play 165 games for the Jackets over three seasons (scoring 16 goals), it's safe to say that he showed limited offense. He scored his 26th and 27th (!) goals of the season and had two other breakaway opportunities in just his 47th game with Vegas. I don't have to understand it, but clearly this is Bill's year.
WENNBERG'S STRUGGLES CONTINUE
It's not fair to single out Wennberg in a game where many struggled, but he was noticeably bad against Vegas. Not sure if it was my natural inclination to compare him to his good buddy (and fellow Swede) William Karlsson, but whatever the reason, it stuck out to me. He was on the ice for three Vegas goals against and was simply out-muscled/positioned on Karlsson's opening goal tally. He's now point-less in his past five games, though he's played in the 17-19 minute range.
With the role he's assigned and the money that's been committed to him, he needs to be better.
SPEED KILLS
The Golden Knights speed and creativity absolutely abused the Blue Jackets defense, and you didn't have to be an analytics supporter to glean that.
The defense, notably the bottom two pairings, looked like they were bogged down by ankle weights. Scott Harrington posted a 26.09% CF%, while Markus Nutivaara (41.38%) and Jack Johnson (44.83%) were also held under 50%. Johnson and David Savard's lack of speed directly contributed to Karlsson's second goal, a breakaway at 4-on-4.
Other players on the club who aren't as fleet of foot also struggled to keep pace. Boone Jenner was a 33.33% and Jussi Jokinen posted a 43.48%. Not ideal.
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