Columbus Blue Jackets' revamped power play making angst a thing of the past
It used to be a subject of scorn and ridicule.
The mere sight of a referee’s arm going up to signal an upcoming Blue Jackets power play used to make fans roll their eyes with anticipated angst. Tweets were even more stinging, including the ever-popular: “Decline the penalty, like in football!”
It went on like that for most of former coach John Tortorella’s tenure, other than a couple of brief stretches of excellence, as the Blue Jackets were saddled the past four-plus years with their own ineptitude. Every power play seemed to be doomed by an endless cascade of turnovers, failed zone entries and short-handed scoring chances allowed — not to mention the tidal wave of momentum lost.
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It’s not like that anymore.
Tortorella’s exit, significant personnel changes, a new assistant — Pascal Vincent —coordinating the power play and first-year head coach Brad Larsen’s eagerness to work on it more during practices has largely ended the misery.
Despite heading into a game Tuesday in Toronto without a power-play goal in their previous four games (0 for 5), the Jackets were still ranked 13th in the NHL with a 20% success rate (12 for 60) and allowed just one short-handed goal in their first 23 games.
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And that was without a single power-play goal from Patrik Laine. On Tuesday, Laine missed his 15th straight game with a strained oblique muscle.
“No one forgets our recent years and how it wasn’t very successful, and that’s never fun," said star defenseman Zach Werenksi, who has moved up to the top unit full-time since the summer trade that sent Seth Jones to the Chicago Blackhawks. "You go out there, you’re trying to help the team win, and you’re not scoring or creating momentum, and we’ve kind of been through it with the guys that have been here."
Oh, how things have changed.
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Werenski had a 3-3-6 scoring line during power plays going into the game Tuesday; half of Jakub Voracek's 18 assists and five of Boone Jenner's team-high 11 goals had come with a man-advantage; Oliver Bjorkstrand had recorded seven of his 19 points (two goals, five assists) in those situations and Adam Boqvist had contributed 1-2-3 since moving to the top unit.
“Bringing ‘Jake’ in, ‘Boqie’ and Patty (Laine) when he was here to start the year, it’s kind of just refreshing,” Werenski said. “We have a new power play coach too. It’s been a lot of fun this year. It’s been good for our team. We’ve scored some big goals and created momentum, so it’s been fun.”
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How much fun are they having?
Look no further than last season for comparison.
The Blue Jackets’ longest stretch without a power-play goal thus far is the one they rode into the game Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs — a four-game skid which technically could be considered three because they didn’t get a power-play opportunity Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals.
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Last season, they had two four-game droughts in their first 19 games. They also had a five-game stretch plus two more six-game skids to finish the season a paltry 18 of 117 (15.4%) to rank 27th in the league. The biggest positive was allowing only two short-handed goals to finish tied for third in that stat, despite yielding numerous short-handed chances.
Widening the scope to a five-year window puts their struggles into clearer focus. Between 2016-17 and last season, the Blue Jackets converted on just 17% of their power-play situations (164 of 965). That ranks 28th in that timeframe.
This season?
“Success leads to success,” said Larsen, who was often criticized for the team’s power-play failures as an assistant for Tortorella. “It’s such a mental thing, and when you see good power plays, it’s less thinking and more reacting.”
It’s also re-entering the offensive zone cleanly and retrieving pucks off missed shots or deflected passes. Adding Voracek in a July trade for Cam Atkinson was key in those areas, along with interchanging Werenski and Boqvist at the point to keep opponents continually guessing.
Unless you’re trying to shut them down, it’s fun to watch. The Blue Jackets, finally, are playing with confidence on power plays.
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“If you score or get some scoring chances, it’s the same as killing off a power play,” said forward Bjorkstrand, who mans the middle for the Jackets’ top group in a 1-3-1 setup. “It's no secret. We haven’t been the best power play throughout the years, so it’s nice getting something going here. But it’s early on. We’ve got to keep going with it.”
Blue Jackets and Monsters extend agreement
The Blue Jackets announced that the Cleveland Monsters will remain the club's American Hockey League affiliate after both sides agreed to a multi-year deal. That extends a relationship that dates back to 2015.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets' revamped power play making angst a thing of the past
