COLUMBUS, Ohio —
One. With tonight’s 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings, the Columbus Blue Jackets have lost three games in a row in regulation–the first time that has happened since late December. The Jackets fell by a combined score of 13-6 to three Eastern Conference teams Dec. 21-27, including losses to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins, who handed the Blue Jackets two losses in the most recent streak as well. In the current three losses, the Blue Jackets were outscored 10-3. The 82-game NHL season is filled with highs and lows for both teams, but this low is tough for the Blue Jackets with their recent success, especially on home ice.
Two. Is Blue Jackets rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who had an impressive showing in current netminder Sergei Bobrovsky’s absence, the key to the Jackets’ winning ways? Not exactly, when you factor in that the Blue Jackets have scored only three goals in the three games that Korpisalo missed when he was sent down, and Bobrovsky has started to settle in more since his return from injury. It does create several questions for what happens in the goaltending position in the offseason.
Three. The Blue Jackets recalled forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand, Michael Chaput and defensemen John Ramage yesterday afternoon from the AHL’s Lake Erie Monsters, and all three saw NHL action against the Red Wings tonight. Bjorkstrand made his NHL debut and saw ample time on the Blue Jackets’ top two lines, including 2:35 on the team’s No. 1 power play unit. Though he was shuffled between two different lines, Bjorkstrand held his own and found the most chemistry alongside Brandon Saad, as they combined for a solid scoring chance early in the third period. He played 16:02 tonight, which was more than fellow forwards Matt Calvert and Saad. Ramage, who came in after it was announced that Jack Johnson would be sidelined for the season after shoulder surgery, fit right into head coach John Tortorella’s shot-blocking system, stopping five pucks tonight in his second-ever NHL game. He also saw time on the penalty killing unit. Chaput, who had the most NHL experience of the three call-ups, played just 8:11 but won 6-of-9 faceoffs (67 percent), including key draws in the neutral zone. Despite the loss, the three gained more NHL experience and Tortorella had a chance to see faces that could be with the club more regularly next season. At least the Blue Jackets’ future appears bright by the sight of their prospects and the Monsters’ success.
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