Blue Jackets takeaways from gritty loss to New York Islanders
Brad Larsen put it accurately and succinctly.
The Blue Jackets coach would’ve enjoyed a couple more fortunate bounces in a stinging 3-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Friday, but it didn’t happen and there wasn’t much else to complain about.
“We played well,” Larsen said. “There’s not much to criticize tonight.”
The loss was the second straight close one for the Blue Jackets (7-11-1), who lost 3-1 on home ice Wednesday to the Montreal Canadiens in a similar game. Much like that game, Larsen and his staff gained further evidence of growth against the Islanders despite taking an ‘L’ in the standings.
That’s an improvement from the way this season began and that’s no small thing.
Here are three takeaways:
Columbus Blue Jackets improving in close losses
The Blue Jackets’ 3-9-0 start to this season was ugly in almost every way imaginable. They’d play well in short bursts, lose that momentum while getting pinned in their own end, lose players to injuries, lose coverage assignments and then, ultimately, crumble under the weight of costly turnovers caused by poor puck management.
This loss and the one to Montreal on Wednesday didn’t fit that narrative for one big reason.
The injury-plagued Blue Jackets are improving as a whole and getting more contributions from talented young players holding their own while they improve.
If there’s such a thing as a quality loss, the past two fall into that category.
Despite feeling the sting of losing close games, the Blue Jackets took more out of the past two games and made strides in multiple areas while also not damaging their potential first-round slot in July’s loaded 2023 NHL draft.
They had two young forwards, Yegor Chinakhov and rookie Kent Johnson, net power-play goals late in the second to tie the game 2-2 for the start of the third. They were sparked by another Olivier fight a few minutes before those goals, bringing the crowd of 17,286 to life after the Islanders pressed an invisible “mute” button.
Joonas Korpisalo was solid in net again, continuing his resurgence following spring hip surgery. And then, at the end, the Blue Jackets made things interesting.
A tying goal never got past Islanders' goalie Ilya Sorokin, but it took some slick goaltending for that not to happen. The Jackets also made the Islanders work as a team to earn their second one-goal victory over Columbus this season.
They played well despite coming up short again, which shouldn’t be glossed over.
Young talent shines for Columbus Blue Jackets
Those who view this season as key developmental time for the Blue Jackets got a great glimpse of how the future might look late in the second period.
Yegor Chinakhov and Kent Johnson made the Islanders pay the full toll for separate minor penalties called with 6:23 left on Adam Pelech (slashing) and Cal Clutterbuck (interference). Chinakhov cut New York’s lead to 2-1 with 5:55 left on a 5-on-3 goal assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Johnson just 33 seconds before Johnson tied it 2-2 with a goal of his own.
Each goal pushed the scoring total for the scorer to 11 points for the season.
It was the fourth goal for Chinakhov, who returned to the lineup after missing the Jackets’ 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday with an upper-body injury. Johnson’s goal was his fifth and second on a power play, where he’s currently playing on the right half-wall with Patrik Laine (ankle) out.
Johnson’s 11 points in 17 games pulls him into a tied for second in scoring among all rookies, trailing only the Seattle Kraken’s Matty Beniers – who centered Johnson’s line at the University of Michigan.
Chinakhov, playing his second full NHL season, is more than halfway to his rookie season totals of seven goals and 14 points. Chinakhov was selected with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft and Johnson was taken fifth overall a year later.
Thanks to the Blue Jackets’ spate of injuries, which currently includes eight lineup regulars out, there’s a lot more opportunity to play bigger roles than either would otherwise. Both are capitalizing and giving the Blue Jackets a peek at what they can do when given the chance.
“We’re not really looking too far down the line,” Johnson said. “Everyone knows we’re young and hopefully can be really good players for a long time, but right now we’re just looking at it game-by-game and trying to get better.”
Olivier, Gudbranson adding grit to Columbus Blue Jackets' lineup
Two guys were added by Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen last summer primarily to make the team tougher.
Olivier, a power forward, was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators. Erik Gudbranson, a towering, grizzled defensemen, was signed as a free agent. Both have now shown they can contribute as functional players while also adding “bite” to the Columbus lineup that was sorely missing last season.
The “sandpaper” that Kekalainen and Larsen hoped to add is starting to show up regularly. Gudbranson won his first fight as a Blue Jacket against Montreal’s Michael Pezzetta, making the Canadiens forward pay for a big hit on Jake Christiansen behind the Columbus net, and Olivier stood up for Andrew Peeke in this game.
Seconds after Islanders captain Anders Lee (6-3, 225) ran over Peeke inside New York’s blue line in the second, Olivier initiated a fight. Both players landed punches, but Olivier got in the heaviest shots before it ended. The scrap brought the crowd to life and the Blue Jackets followed suit, drawing the dual minors three minutes later that led to the goals by Chinakhov and Johnson.
“It’s a skill set they have and Ollie’s been very willing (to fight),” Larsen said. “He’s had five real tough customers. Those two guys … they bring a presence that I felt we desperately needed and you can see it. The temperature in games this year is much different than they were last year when we played bigger, heavier teams.”
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Three takeaways from New York Islanders' victory over Blue Jackets
