How are things going?
It could certainly be better.
As we figured would be the case, it's been a tough test for the Columbus Blue Jackets to start the season.
After three games in four nights, Brad Larsen's team finally had a chance to regroup and rest up prior to Tuesday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks.
For just the third time in franchise history, the club has started a season 0-3-0.
#CBJ lose 5-2 to #StLBlues, allowing three goals in the third period.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 16, 2022
Third time in franchise history the Blue Jackets have opened a season with three regulation losses. (2011-12, 2015-16).
The 2011-12 team started out 0-7-1 before their first win, culminating in a final line of 29-46-7, and finishing with 65 points, the lowest total of all 30 teams. Scott Arneil was replaced in favor of Todd Richards. In 2015-16, they also lost their first eight games, prompting the change from Richards to John Tortorella. That team finished 34-40-8, 76 points, and 27th in the league.
This team is better than those teams and it shouldn't take eight games for the first win. But how much better for a team coming in with higher expectations, as opposed to last season?
We'll find out.
Only three games in, this season isn't off to the start anyone hoped. But of course, it's still very early to turn things around.
Should be two desperate teams in Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.#CBJ are off to an 0-3 start, each loss by three goals#Canucks are 0-3, too, having blown a multi-goal lead in all three games, including tonight in Washington. They led 4-2, lost 6-4.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) October 18, 2022
They'll look to do so against the 0-3-0 Canucks on Tuesday, a team coming off their own frustrating loss, 6-4, to the Capitals on Monday night in Washington.
Canucks fans, look away. pic.twitter.com/8JC7bgE44e
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 18, 2022
As Dan Dukart alluded to with his three thoughts, the Blue Jackets' own winless start comes with needed changes.
Nick Blankenburg enters the lineup ahead of Tuesday's matchup, making his season debut. Adam Boqvist comes out as the healthy scratch.
It's unfortunate luck that the Blue Jackets are without Patrik Laine for 3-4 weeks after he sustained a sprained elbow against the Carolina Hurricanes in the season opener. It sounds like things are slowly progressing as he's skating. However, the Blue Jackets have enough offense all over the roster that they should be able to score enough goals while they await the sniper's return.
Of course, it's next level when you can pair Laine with Johnny Gaudreau, who has two points so far (one goal, one assist) and looks to be getting more comfortable. Even as he's spent more time with Justin Danforth and Gus Nyquist on the first line than with Laine (7:37), connecting with both on separate scoring plays.
As Dukart points out, it's easier said than done to replace a sniper like Laine, especially when players like Gaudreau and Johnson are facilitators and playmakers first. Could Kirill Marchenko force Kekalainen's hands and force a call-up sooner than later?
Marchenko co-leads the Cleveland Monsters with four points and leads the way with three goals after two games.
Daniil Tarasov is 0-4-0 for his career, and 0-2-0 this season, but has mostly looked the part when called upon. Which included the surprise start against the Hurricanes on opening night and then during Friday's home opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In both games, the Blue Jackets scored first before the opposition proved too strong to contain.
Elvis Merzlikins made his season debut on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues and was looking decent until the third period came along and the Blues scored twice in 20 seconds. Then Vladimir Tarasenko's goal late to ice the game seemed to catch him by surprise following a turnover in the zone. That turnover which led to the goal came just after a timeout to discuss strategy.
"Teams will force you into some situations," Larsen said. "Unfortunately, right now, we're making some really careless mistakes with the puck that's cost us. And every time we seem to make it, it's in the back of our net.
"We turned the puck over the last four minutes."
Through three games, the Blue Jackets have allowed 14 goals and have the worst goal differential in the league (-9). The Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks are both -8.
So far, we haven't seen the resiliency that the team displayed on many occasions last year.
Of the five goals they've scored, two are in the first period and three are in the middle frame. They've been outscored 6-0 in the third period this season.
Perhaps the growing pains of new system changes are among the culprit?
Vincent says the tweaks are "not that big, to be honest." But is the adjustment contributing to the uneven #CBJ play to start the season?
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 17, 2022
"I think they understand it. It's just a matter of not so much understanding it, but executing it at a fast pace. It's going to come."
The question we wondered aloud and already knew the answer to before the first game was whether the defense was drastically improved after Jarmo Kekalainen mostly ran it back with the same group. He picked up Erik Gudbranson on a four-year deal, which isn't to say the defensive element to his game is his strongest asset.
Let's just say what's happening, or not happening, on that side of the ice is being talked about more than his two assists which happen to lead the team, and his two points co-lead the club alongside Gaudreau and Nyquist.
If you're interested, Erik Gudbranson was on the ice for 12 shot attempts for and 44 shot attempts against tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blue Jackets signed him to a four-year deal with an AAV of $4M in the last summer.
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) October 13, 2022
While Gudbranson is an easy target and takes the brunt of the criticism, he's far from the only one to be struggling from a defensive perspective. Fortunately, help looks to be on the way with David Jiricek up the road in Cleveland, and Denton Mateychuk also knocking on the door in the not-so-distant future.
Though that doesn't solve things right now.
Maybe that's the hidden truth that we knew and didn't want to admit. Of course, the team expects playoffs and what would you expect them to say, publicly or otherwise?
The reality of the situation is the team did little to change the anatomy of their defense, only signing a player on that side of the ice in Gudbranson, who doesn't necessarily thrill many with his defensive analytics.
For #CBJ coach Brad Larsen, two things are important now, based on his pregame presser today: Winning key moments and taking care of the puck. Liked the Jackets for much of the CAR/STL games, but "you have to finish these games."
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 18, 2022
When youre struggling to score goals you gotta manufacture wins. It can be 2-1, 3-2. And to give goals away freely, thats the frustrating part. I dont think its an effort thing. Theyre working. But we have to clean up the puck management stuff in the key moments. #CBJ
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 18, 2022
Can things improve with this group for this season? Sure they can. How much and how soon remains the daily question.
All it takes is one win to push the momentum back the other way.
That next opportunity is Tuesday night against a desperate Canucks team, with more tough tests looming in the Nashville Predators on Thursday and Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, two teams that always make it hard on Columbus.
Then a date with the New York Rangers on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
