Final Score: Devils 1 – Blue Jackets 3
Game Summary Well that couldn’t have been a more typical New Jersey game. A rather unexciting game through two periods, the Jackets exploded for three goals in the third, picking up their second win on the season. Ryan Johansen was not playing again tonight. He’s back in Columbus and listed as day to day. The team is trying to find out why he suffered an energy loss in the game against the Wild. I don’t want to speculate here because we honestly don’t know what is going on. Just hoping Joey can recover from whatever is ailing him and he can get back on the ice soon.
The team could have really used Johansen in this one. They struggled to generate any sort of offense through two and half periods. The first period in particular was rough. The team had just two shots. TWO! The Devils totally outplayed the Jackets for the entirety of this game. Look at the shot chart courtesy of HockeyStats.ca:
Another strength for the team was the penalty kill. They entered the game third worst in the league at 69% trailing only the Bruins and Sabres. They went 1 for 4 killing penalties, not allowing a New Jersey shot on the first two. If this team is to turn their season around special teams is going to be a big part of it. This was a nice step in the right direction.
Boone Jenner had another very good game. He scored the first goal, his team leading sixth of the season. His fancy stats were also impressive. He had a 62.5% Corsi at even strength which was tops on the team. He along with Karlsson and Atkinson were the only Jackets to be at or above 50%. Another player who stood out was Alexander Wennberg. Midway through the second period Torts bumped Wennberg to the top line with Saad and Foligno. If Joey is out long term this could be a great opportunity for Wennberg to flourish. He played 17:37 which was second among forwards, behind Brandon Dubinsky. He also got significant time on both the powerplay and the penalty kill.
For those who play fantasy hockey, I would keep a close eye on Wennberg; he could be worth an add if he does indeed get an extended look on the top line.
Finally Assistant Coach Craig Hartsberg missed this game as he is dealing with a personal matter. I wish him and his family all the best.
Stat of the Night