If you're a fan of the Columbus Blue Jackets, this isn't going to be a pleasant read.
Then again, pleasant hasn't exactly been the right word to describe the first dozen games of the season.
So, just how rough has it been? Here are 12 stats for 12 games that detail why the frustration is highly justified.
1) 3.2%
That's the chance that MoneyPuck gives the Blue Jackets to make the postseason this year, less than half as good as the next closest team (Arizona, 6.7%). It's not much better over at FiveThirtyEight, where Columbus has a 5% chance to make it beyond the regular season. The two analytic sites project Columbus to finish the season at 71 and 75 points, respectively.
2) 55
That's the number of goals the Blue Jackets have given up through the first 12 games of the season, and it should come as no surprise that it's the most allowed in franchise history through a dozen games. They're on pace to give up 375 goals, 78 more than last season's 297 — which, at least for now, is the most they've allowed in a season. To avoid a second straight season of futility, the Blue Jackets would need a goals against average better than 3.45 for the last 70 games. That would be a 25.3% decrease in goals allowed from the first dozen.
3) 35.29%
Of all goals scored in Blue Jacket games this season, just 35.29% of them have belonged to Columbus. That's the worst in the league not just this season — it would be the worst since the 2019-20 Detroit Red Wings (34.89%) and second worst over the last 15 seasons.
4) 2.24
Those are the points per 60 minutes for Johnny Gaudreau. That's less than half of the 4.53 he averaged last season and is 16% worse than his career low of 2.66 in the 2019-season. It's probably just a slow start while they find who works with him best.
Probably.
5) 0.0%
That's the net power play percentage for the Blue Jackets in the first dozen games. They've scored twice on the power play, and they've allowed a pair of short-handed goals.
6) 4.49
53 defensive pairings have skated together for more than 100 minutes this season. The 4.49 goals per 60 minutes by the Columbus combination of Vladislav Gavrikov and Andrew Peeke ranks 51st. Jake Bean and Eric Gudbranson, at 3.24, ranks 42nd.
7) 48TH, 68TH, 70TH
There have been a total of 70 goalies that have logged NHL minutes this season. In terms of the discrepancy between goals allowed and expected goals allowed, Blue Jacket goaltenders rank 48th (Daniil Tarasov), 68th (Joonas Korpisalo), and last (Elvis Merzlikins). For Tarasov and (especially) Korpisalo, the games played is certainly a factor. But Merzlikins -1.66 difference (3.16 xGA; 4.82 GAA) comes in eight games; no goalie has more than ten games this season, so the sample size is valid.
8) 0-3-0
At six, Columbus has the fewest number of points in the league. Seven other teams have ten points or loss. The Blue Jackets record against those teams? 0-3-0, and they've been outscored 17-8. Losing to good teams is one thing, but Columbus is also losing to bad teams.
9) 28
Columbus has just 28 high-danger scoring chances this year. That's the fewest in the conference and 29th in the league, though two of the three teams behind them (St. Louis, 27) and Arizona (26) have played at least one less game than Columbus' 12.
10) 3 IN 51
Speaking of high danger chances, just three of them have come in Columbus' 51 power play minutes. Half of the league is already in double digits in that category, and no team has less than the Blue Jackets.
11) 2.27
Columbus has an expected goal tally of 21.73 this season. The 24 goals they've actually scored means that the Blue Jackets are perhaps getting a little bit of luck in scoring. The difference of +2.27 is 8th highest in the league. The lack of offense has been bad, but this indicates that it should maybe be even a little worse.
12) 3+
The Blue Jackets have lost all nine of their games by three or more goals. Last season, they lost 21 games by three or more. In their best season in franchise history (2016-17), they lost just seven times by three goals or more. It's one thing to lose close, competitive games. These aren't those.
