Blue Jackets Show Best & Worst in 5-3 Loss to Blues: Can’t Keep Flipping

It was a tale of two completely different games in the first 40 minutes between the Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. The first period belonged to the Blue Jackets. The second period belonged to the Blues.

In the end, it was enough for the Blues to win the game. It also showed how the Blue Jackets inconsistency remains a big problem for them.

It took the Blues just over six minutes in the second period to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead. Then in a 3-3 game in the third on a delayed penalty, Jonatan Berggren scored the game-winning goal to help lift the Blues to a 5-3 win over the Blue Jackets.

This game perfectly encapsulates where the Blue Jackets are at overall. They showed their best early followed by their worst soon thereafter. If that roller coaster ride doesn’t get corrected over time, that could pose to be a huge problem for this team.

Their Best

The first period was a bit of a sloppy start with both teams looking for traction. The Blue Jackets were playing their first road game and back-to-back game of the season. The Blues were looking to rebound from an overtime loss in their home opener to the San Jose Sharks.

It was the Blue Jackets that took control late in the first period. Although the goal was originally given to Sean Monahan, it was later changed to Valeri Nichushkin. He opened the scoring on a great play by Erik Gudbranson who drove the puck behind the net and got it in front for the eventual score.

Then right as the first period was ending, Adam Fantilli made a great play to chip a puck around a defenseman. Kent Johnson then went bar down to send his team to a 2-0 lead going into the room.

The shots were 10-4 Blue Jackets. It was a continuation of what they started Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins when they dominated most of that game. They were feeling pretty good about themselves. They knew the Blues would push in the second.

Their Worst

Not only did the Blues push, they took control of the game.

Jake Neighbours put the Blues on the board by winning a battle in front. His stick clipped Carson Soucy up here before he beat Jet Greaves to make it 2-1.

“That’s hockey,” coach Rick Bowness said when asked if he felt something should have been called on Neighbours. Bowness also said the same thing about the second goal that tied the game.

Jimmy Snuggerud got credit for the goal when Philip Broberg’s pass was deflected off Snuggerud’s skates and past Greaves. Replay showed the Blue Jackets’ bench talking about the play wondering if it should be looked at.

“Second one was in off a skate. Okay, respond,” Bowness said. “We have to do a better job of responding. These are harsh reminders. If you lose your focus and intensity, you’re going to get beat.”

Snuggerud added his second of the night shortly thereafter to give the Blues a 3-2 lead. They outshot the Blue Jackets 12-3 in the second period. Despite the forgetful period, the Blue Jackets were only one shot behind. They found a tying goal.

Cole Sillinger made it 3-3 just under seven minutes into the third. Carson Soucy recorded his first point with the Blue Jackets when he got credited with the secondary assist.

The Blue Jackets were going to get called for tripping midway through the third. However, the Blues kept pushing. Greaves made a save but then the puck slipped under him over to Berggren. Pavel Buchnevich sealed it with an empty netter to put the game on ice.

At 2-2-0, the Blue Jackets have done some things well. They’ve done other things very poorly. That wild ride cannot be a consistent happening for this team if they want to be a good team.

Points of Concern

“We want to be one of the top teams in this league,” Bowness said postgame. “You show up every period. You show up every night. It’s no good to play a good game, bad game, good game, bad game. We’ve got to stop that right away.”

That is the task facing the Blue Jackets as they enter a new week with a pair of home games. They’ll host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night and then the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

The costly mistakes stood out on Saturday night. It forced Bowness to change the lines in the third period because he didn’t like what he saw.

One night after Charlie Coyle’s line being dominant against the Penguins, Bowness put Sillinger up with Fantilli and Johnson. Matthew Knies went with Coyle and Mathieu Olivier.

“Didn’t like what I saw,” Bowness said. “Didn’t like what I saw in a few guys, so we tried to change it up and get some momentum on our side.”

On that delayed penalty that turned into the game-winning goal, Bowness was especially upset.

“Go watch that fourth goal. There’s so many mistakes on that goal. That’s not just staying mentally sharp. You combine that with the intensity and that’s what you get.”

The Blue Jackets were also set to get a late second-period power play. However, they got caught with too many men with the goalie pulled. Seven guys were on the ice.

“That’s incredible,” Bowness said. “We never change like that. That’s a brain mistake. The brain stopped functioning the way you need it to function to play the game the right way.”

Moving On

A game like Saturday will give the Blue Jackets more than enough teachable moments to go over. They will be able to see the good, bad and ugly all in one film session.

The Blue Jackets will return to practice on Monday at Nationwide Arena looking to correct those mistakes that cost them the game on Saturday. They have some good things to build on. But until they find more consistency in their game, this roller coaster ride may continue for a bit as they smooth out things in their game.

But it’s Bowness’ words that resonate as to what is ailing the Blue Jackets early this season. This is the part they must correct in short order.

“The thought process of how to play the game left us and the intensity necessary to play the game left us,” Bowness said. “We made mental mistakes. We got outbattled and that gave them a whole lot of life. It’s really disappointing after how we played in the first.”

Mental mistakes. Being outbattled. In order to be among the top teams in the league, those cannot happen on a consistent basis. Otherwise, .500 is what you get. Because there is good mixed in, that’s what makes this a frustrating place to be for the Blue Jackets.