Following up from the fallout from Nashville against the Predators, the Blue Jackets finish the month with back-to-back above 0.500 winning percentages under new NHL rookie head coach Brad Larsen. Their final record was 7-5-0.

Jakub Voracek is tied for 11th in assist production as of the first of December in the entire league with 16.

Boone Jenner is in the top 25 in goal scoring in the league as well. Jenner’s 10 is first on the team, with the next closest having six. His 5 power ply goals is first on the team as well.

Oliver Bjorkstrand remains the team leader in points while Voracek slowly is approaching the magic number 19.

Vladislav Gavrikov is the leader in plus/minus with a +9.

In short handed goals the only two with one are Alexandre Texier and Gustav Nyquist.

Zach Werenski continues to lead the team on time on ice and in points and goals and assists for defensemen on the team. His average ice time is 26:11, almost 4 minutes more per game than his own defensive partner. His 3 power play goals; 5 regular season goals; 10 assists; and 15 points all lead the back end. 15 points has him third overall on the team, while the 10 assists has time tied for first on defense with Vladislav Gavrikov, but tied for third overall in team stats.

In terms of Faceoff success, Jenner and Sean Kuraly are the only two with an over 50% in wins. Jens is at 55.81% for first, and Kuraly has 53.21% in second.

For the two goalies, Elvis Merzlikins is now at 9-4-0 with a 2.61 goals against average, an 0.923 save percentage and one shutout ; Joonas Korpisalo is 3-4-0 with a 3.95 GAA and 0.885 save percentage.

November also introduced us to our first team jersey retirement. While it won’t happen until March, Rich Nash will have his jersey retired when they play the Bruins. Additionally, ex-Jacket center Mikko Koivu will have his jersey retired in Minnesota, being the first Wild player to ever have his #9 head to the rafters.

There’s a lot of moving pieces here going forward: the Christmas holiday is approaching as well as the new year of 2022. They are also on the road for 9 games, including the Midwest (currently) and the Pacific Northwest at Christmas, but finish the year at home.

The team is also preparing for the return of Emil Bemstrom, and potentially Patrik Laine to the lineup here in the month. They will need the extra bodies for their trips in Danforth or Stenlund, especially when dealing with the four teams in the corridor. They also have one back to back series this month, and it’s with travel. The road game is against Toronto, and then to Chicago to reacquaint with Seth Jones in their first meeting since the trade.

The under 20 World Junior Championship roster was also announced today, and the only top prospect representing Canada from the Columbus roster is Kent Johnson, who has been a dominant force on the Michigan roster in the NCAA. Those will happen around Boxing Day.

The Olympics are also nearing, so expect more announcements from the Jackets players to represent overseas come February.

As today stands, they currently are the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference at 24 points, being just 1 point behind Detroit for the second and final playoff seed, with 3 games in hand. Columbus also sits 5th in the Metropolitan at 12-8-0 with a +2 goal differential for a 0.600 winning percentage. Of the 12-8 record, they are 8-3 at home and 4-5 on the road.

Columbus Blue Jackets 3 Stars of November

1. RW Jakub Voracek

The Czech winger collected one goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 12 games in the month of November. He has come back to Columbus and this season looking better than ever.

2. Zach Werenski

With 9 points in 12 games, the two way defenseman has becoming the number one defense we all expected to see on the team.

3. Vladislav Gavrikov

The Russian defender also had 9 points in 12 games, and this 2015 draft group keeps looking better and better for Kekalainen and company with the potential Olympian producing as the second beat defenseman on the team, and being a fourth round steal.

3 Biggest Worries

1. Joonas Korpisalo

The Finnish net minder seems to really be dropping the ball, and is becoming the victim
Of the back to back games and the savior for poor performances. He gets the worst hand on every game, whether it’s behind Bobrovsky or Merzlikins, he has been second fiddle in a tandem roll. This month he was 2-2, with a 4.39GAA and a 0.864 save percentage. That’s too many goals allowed when the team struggles, and his value will only drop if it keeps up.

2. Jack Roslovic

The hometown boy is not adjusting to new linemates or coach Larsen, with only 5 points in 12 games for November scoring. With his slow start, he has been getting less ice time, averaging around 11 minutes a game. After an impressive 1st season, this seems to be another hurdle for the center to battle through.

3. Sean Kuraly

Hometown and Ohio seem to struggle in November, as the number 4C scored all his goals in this month, and not adding much else to the team aside the faceoffs. While he is the specialist for it, the money does not match the production and could be a problem sooner than we think.


Thoughts? Dance in Dallas tomorrow...

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