With the 2019-20 NHL season on hold we are going to take a look at where each NHL team stands at this moment with a series of posts examining their season. Have they met expectations? Exceeded expectations? Who has been the surprise? All of that and more. Today we look at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
2019-20 Columbus Blue Jackets
Record: 33-22-15 (81 points in 70 games played); fifth in the Metro, second East wild card
Leading Scorer: Pierre-Luc Dubois, 49 points (18 goals, 31 assists)
In-season Roster Moves:
- Traded Sonny Milano to the Anaheim Ducks for Devin Shore.
- Sent Markus Hannikainen to the Arizona Coyotes for a conditional seventh-rounder.
Season Overview:
In 2018-19, the Blue Jackets finished the season in the second wild-card spot, right behind the Hurricanes. In 2019-20 ... the Blue Jackets went into the COVID-19 halt in the second wild-card spot, right behind the Hurricanes.
Now, sure, it’s not the exact same situation. In this year’s case, the Islanders would take that spot if you went by points percentage, as they’re only a point behind the Blue Jackets (80 to Columbus’ 81) while the Islanders hold two games in hand (68 to Columbus’ 70 GP).
Yet, how many people would have expected the Blue Jackets to manage this feat? Columbus didn’t just lose Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky to free agency. The Blue Jackets also lost a ton of players to injuries, often significant ones, from Seth Jones to Cam Atkinson to Joonas Korpisalo.
NHL top 5 teams, man-games lost to injury and illness.
— Man-Games Lost NHL (@ManGamesLostNHL) March 12, 2020
CBJ 352 (not counting Dubinsky)
WPG 333
PIT 298
DET 285
OTT 273https://t.co/cjkOOD5tgy
Like him or not, this season’s been a testament to John Tortorella’s coaching abilities. While the Blue Jackets aren’t winning every possession battle (especially regarding high-danger chances), they’re not cratering in the same way Winnipeg has after painful personnel purges.
All things considered, it’s impressive that the Blue Jackets fall in the middle of the pack by various metrics, including this “Reality vs. Expectation” chart from Charting Hockey (which uses Evolving Hockey’s data).
For Torts’ structure to bend-but-not-break, Columbus did need strong goaltending, though. Elvis Merzlikins delivered (13-9-8, .925 save percentage) even more than Korpisalo did (19-12-5, .911 save percentage) to help hold everything together.
We’ll see if the Blue Jackets get the chance to prove that they could hold onto their current spot. Either way, Tortorella and the Blue Jackets already proved a lot in 2019-20.
Highlight of the 2019-20 Season for Blue Jackets:
The Blue Jackets didn’t only win six in a row during some of Elvis’ hottest days in the building. They also pulled off a 10-game point streak from Jan. 11 to Feb. 7 (9-0-1). Stretching back further, they went 11-1-1 in 13 games (Jan. 6 to Feb. 7) and 13-2-1 in 16 (Dec. 31 to Feb. 7).
Yes, they plummeted into the pause (3-6-6 from Feb. 8 to March. 8), but that previous tear was really something.
If you need something more of the highlight reel variety, recall Sonny Milano’s between-the-legs goal, a nice memory Milano created before he was traded:
And, hey, if you need some righteous Tortorella rage at refs, there was some of that this season, too.
MORE ON THE BLUE JACKETS
- Biggest surprises and disappointments for Blue Jackets in 2019-20.
- What is the Columbus Blue Jackets’ long-term outlook?
—
James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.