While the Columbus Blue Jackets are tied for last in the NHL with Carolina and Buffalo in terms of points, it's hardly time to write off their season.
They own a 4-8-0 record, but for the most part have played better with all the injuries than their record would indicate, and there's still reason to be optimistic about this season.
Some thoughts as the Jackets prepare for a rematch against the Hurricanes on Friday:
- While Ryan Murray, Cody Goloubef and Jack Johnson are all out of the lineup due to injuries and a suspension respectively, there is some good news when it comes to defense. That, of course, is that James Wisniewski has been activated off injured reserve and will be ready to play on Friday.
Wisniewski is Columbus' best possession player, as the Jackets are generating a hair less than 60% of the shot attempts with him on the ice at even-strength. Though he has just three points in nine games on the year, he is typically good for 40-50 points a season when healthy, so the offense will come. For my money he is the best defensemen on the team, and will certainly be a welcomed addition back to the lineup.
- One thing I've found quite interesting is that the Jackets have remained a middle-of-the-pack possession team at even-strength despite missing large chunks of their lineup since the first game of the season. Typically when you generate a good percentage of the shot attempts the goals come with that, so when some healthy bodies return to the lineup the results should be there.
- Another thing the Blue Jackets have going for them - depending how you look at it - is a very low PDO of .962, which ranks only ahead of Buffalo and Arizona. PDO is a statistic that more or less measures puck luck by adding shooting percentage with save percentage. Typically over time teams will sit around 1,000. If a team is far above that (like Colorado last season) they're generally a good bet to regress, while if a team is sitting well under (like New Jersey last season) they're probably a good bet as a bounce back team.
Columbus is 4th last at even-strength save percentage (.894) and 6th last in shooting percentage (6.47), which is in part due to all the injuries, but should go up over time. If and when it does, the Blue Jackets should start picking up some wins.
They're currently six points out of a playoff spot, but with so much time left and the team playing in a highly mediocre Eastern Conference, they should be able to crawl back into the thick of things.
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