Oilers Pre-Scout: Looking Ahead To The Columbus Blue Jackets

Finn Marceau

Oct 28, 2024, 12:15

Finn Marceau

Oct 28, 2024, 12:15

The Blue Jackets are young and high-scoring, but unbalanced.

The Oilers' road trip marches on, as they head to the capital of Ohio on Monday.

They'll be facing off against a Columbus Blue Jackets squad that's had an up-and-down start to their season -- literally. They've alternated wins and losses through their first seven games of the season, on their way to a 3-3-1 record. Just the Oilers' luck -- they're coming off a loss.

The Blue Jackets are historically far from an imposing opponent, projected for a measly 69 points by MoneyPuck, the second-lowest total in the league and worst in the Eastern Conference. But they're not to be taken lightly, as the Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Avalanche have already found out this season.

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One thing the Blue Jackets have shown they can do this season is score. They're scoring 3.86 goals per game, fifth most in the league, and have potted six in each of their three wins. A lot of that is thanks to an unsustainable shooting percentage: MoneyPuck credits them with 10 goals above expected, second behind only Vegas. But the Oilers know well that puck luck, good or bad, can linger.

Columbus has an unexpected ace up their sleeve, though: the best forward line in hockey. That's right, forget Boston's Perfection Line, or Carolina's forechecking buzzsaw, or Tampa's unholy combination of Point, Guentzel, and Kucherov, it's the Blue Jackets that boast the best trio in the league.

Sean Monahan, Kirill Marchenko, and Yegor Chinakov have lit the world on fire to start the year, combining for 25 points between them and an expected goals share of 79.6%. The veteran Monahan has meshed perfectly with the two young wingers, earning him the delightful nickname "Monahanov". Time will tell if their hot start continues, but they'll be the number one focus for Oilers defencemen on Monday.

All that being said, this is a game the Oilers should win. The Blue Jackets are young and fun, but they have many of the same issues as other young, fun teams: they can't defend, and their depth is poor.

Their biggest problem lies in the crease, where neither Elvis Merzilikins nor Daniil Tarasov has been up to snuff. They own an .878 team save percentage to start the year, and have allowed at least three goals in every game. That's blood in the water for an Oiler team that's still looking for the dam to burst, goals-wise.

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Despite the Blue Jackets' poor track record in recent years, they've been a tough matchup for Edmonton. The Oilers have lost four of their last five games against Columbus, including three straight road losses at Nationwide Arena.

Coming off consecutive wins, the Oilers will need to buckle down in the second half of a back-to-back in an arena that's given them fits as of late. But outside of the Monahanov line, the Blue Jackets don't square up to the Oilers. If they're really heating up, they'll show it with a convincing win on Monday night.

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