The Columbus Blue Jackets are arguably facing the most adversity they have all season.
The club is currently in the midst of a 5-game losing streak after an incredible stretch that surged the team into the playoff conversation.
Rather than lament the team's current situation, the losing skid presents an opportunity to examine what's contributing to the adverse results as of late. We take a look at a few possible reasons the Blue Jackets play has deteriorated in the last few weeks.
INJURIES
The Blue Jackets have faced injury-concerns all season, but the limited roster may finally be catching up to them. A major concern for the team coming into the season was goal-scoring and now the team is suffering from a lack of offensive output.
Since Feb. 1, the Blue Jackets are averaging only 1.89 goals per game. With a need for goal-scoring, one can only look to the offensive prowess currently sidelined with injuries.
Cam Atkinson and Josh Anderson are both prolific goal scorers and some of the best finishing talents on the team. Seth Jones is a Norris-caliber defenseman in both zones of play. Ryan Murray and Alexandre Texier have also been able to contribute offensively this season before their injuries. Perhaps, when these players return the Blue Jackets' play will rebound as well.
JUST A "SLUMP"
The Blue Jackets could also just be in the midst of an old fashion hockey "slump," an accursed period when the hockey gods simply have it out for the club and every bit of "puck luck" goes for the opposing teams. The "unluckiness" for the Columbus Blue Jackets of late may be seen in some of their underlying numbers.
In the month of February, the Blue Jackets' shooting percentage is 5%, a significant amount below the NHL average of 9%. This number would suggest that their percentage should regress to the mean and scoring would again increase.
In the same time period, the Blue Jackets have also shown a propensity to control play despite poor results. The Blue Jackets' Corsi-for percentage (percentage of shot attempts compared to opponents) for February is 53.5%, meaning that most of the time Columbus has the puck in their offensive zone generating chances.
This number would also suggest that the Blue Jackets, despite low offensive output, are winning the shot attempt battle and, with increased shooting percentage, their zone time will correlate to goals.
CBJ REVEALING TRUE SELVES
Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it - or so it was taught to us by our middle-school coaches.
The Blue Jackets may be facing the most adversity of the season in the current losing streak with the frustrating results and key players missing from the lineup. If this is the true Blue Jacket team, there should be some concern.
The Blue Jackets started the season as a bottom-5 team and then they were the hottest club in the NHL. Now, with their recent play considered, the true Blue Jacket team may simply be somewhere in the middle. While these are simply some suppositions based on the recent and small 5-game sample, Blue Jackets fans will know more about the team's nature in the coming weeks.
Only time will tell the root cause of the current 5-game slide and that answer will have severe consequences for this year's Stanley Cup Playoff race.
