Final Score: Wild 3 – Blue Jackets 2
Game Summary
The John Tortorella era beings the same the way the Todd Richards era ended, with a loss. This one drops the team to 0-8-0, the worst start since the 1943-44 New York Rangers.
There is a lot of hockey left to play but as I said after the Islanders game it is going to be very very difficult. The Jackets now have to play at approximately a 110 point pace (or 55 wins) just to reach 98 points and have a shot at the playoffs.
The day started off right with Torts scratching Boll and Bourque, electing to go with the teams 12 best forwards. With Wennberg back and Karlsson playing well there is no need for either Boll or Bourque to see much ice. Wennberg and Karlsson are both better/more skilled players who can develop further.
I thought Wennberg had a really great game tonight. He appears to have no lingering effects from his concussion. He made some real nice plays defensively to along with a very good game offensively. He scored the team’s first goal. It was a flukey sort of goal but still. He got a rebound and simply threw the puck on net. Wennberg’s fancy stats were also very good. He had a 57.1 Corsi percentage which was fourth among forwards, behind line mates Cam Atkinson and Scott Hartnell, and Brandon Saad.
The power play was solid going 1 for 2. Torts kept the same 1-3-1 formation Richards had. The one change he did make was he put Wennberg on the top unit and bumped Saad down to the second one. I don’t think this is a long term switch, I feel like Torts was rewarding Wennberg for his good game.
Ryan Johansen was benched for the final 6:10 of the game, with the team trailing by one. This doesn’t make any sense at all. Johansen is the best offensive player on the team and has proved it this season already, scoring at nearly a point per game clip. I saw a lot of people say he didn’t work hard, looked lazy etc. Honestly if you didn’t think Johansen deserved to be out there late in the game, you’re wrong, sorry.
This is what scares me about Torts he's loves guys who work hard and show effort, and will elect to play them over more skilled players. This team is not going to do anything if Johansen consistently plays less than 15 minutes a game. Yes his defensive play leaves much to be desired but he more than makes up for it with the offense he brings. At times it may look like he's not trying or giving effort but again he's the team’s leading scorer. It’s hard to be the leading scorer on any team in the NHL without effort. I get where Torts is coming from trying to send a message by benching the best player. The problem I have is this simply wasn’t the right time for it. This team needs to win, badly.
Stat of the Night
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