The Bkue Jackets are 26-22-8 with 61 points at the break
A day before the season started, not a single hockey fan expected the Columbus Blue Jackets to be one point out of a playoff spot in mid-February, but here we are. GM Don Waddell and new Head Coach Dean Evason came in and have this team playing with purpose and togetherness.
At the break, the Jackets are 26-22-8 with 61 points. Most betting apps had the over/under at 71 points for Columbus, so it's safe to say that they will blow by that one. Hope you took the over like I did.
One of the big storylines going into this season was how the goalies were going to play. So let's take a look at how they're doing.
Elvis Merzļikins - 37 Starts - 19-14-4 - .895 SV% - 2.99 GAA - 1 SO
Grade - B+ - Merzļikins has been absolutely stellar at times this season. Much like the rest of the team, he started kind of sluggish, and to be honest, no one really complained after what the team had been going through with losing Johnny Gaudreau. Since Nov. 15, Elvis is 17-9-3 with a .891 SV%. He has single-handedly kept the Jackets in games just long enough for his team to score some goals and either win or make it a good game. Merzļikins is still a firecracker, but he seems to be playing with more poise and composure this season, which is something both his coaches and fans have taken note of. Elvis now has 87 career wins, tying him with former Blue Jacket Joonas Korpisalo. His next target is Steve Mason, who has 96 career wins. If he can get hot, he could pass Mason this season. He also sits third in career shutouts with 11 and needs one more to tie Marc Denis.
Daniil Tarasov - 14 Starts - 5-7-2 - .876 SV% - 3.69 GAA - 1 SO
Grade - D - It's been a bumpy season for Tarasov. After going 3-1-1 to start the season, Tarry lost his next five games, giving up an average of FIVE goals per game. After his last loss on Dec. 5th, he wouldn't make another start until a road game in Boston on Dec. 28, where he would lose again. In between those starts, he was benched in favor of Jet Greaves and refused a conditioning assignment to the AHL. His refusal of the assignment is well within his rights to do so. On Jan. 10, he finally decided to go to the AHL, where he would make two starts. He was recalled and made a start for the Jackets on the 14th and would win the game. He has made four starts since his AHL stint, going 2-1-1 with a SV% of .930%. He also had a GAA of 2.50 and had a shutout. Is Tarasov back?
Jet Greaves - 5 Starts - 2-1-2 - .906 SV% - 2.98 GAA - 0 SO
Grade - B+ - Jet Greaves has racked up the miles on his car in the last couple of months, going back and forth from Cleveland to Columbus. He's been tossed into some tough situations but has handled it like a pro. Greaves looked very confident on the ice and the players in front of him seem to trust him. Many fans want to see Greaves in Columbus backing up Elvis every night, but that's just not the plan for this year. He'll be on a one-way contract next season, so expect to see him a lot in 25-26. Until GM Don Waddell can figure out the goalie situation, this is the scenario we all have to deal with. Despite all that, Greaves has played great when given his chance.
Overall Grade - B - 26-22-8 - .891 SV% - 3.30 GAA - 2 SO - The Blue Jackets rank 29th in save % and 25th in GAA. They rank 4th in shootout SV% at .857.
The Jackets are a minus-2 in goal differential for the season, but it can be argued that the goalies can't be blamed for everything. The Blue Jackets defense has five guys that are plus players. Dante Fabbro, Zach Werenski, Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, and Jake Christiansen are a combined plus-31. While Denton Mateychuk, Jordan Harris, and Jack Johnson are a combined minus-14, so it's not all on the goalies. Scoring has helped the Jackets hide their deficiencies so far this season, but who is really to blame?
The Blue Jackets PK is the 26th worst in the league at 75.3%, and that is a major issue. It's never really gotten any better throughout the year either. The power play on the other hand started slow and then shot to the top 10 as recently as Jan. 7. When Sean Monahan went down to a wrist injury, the PP has suffered, and big time. Ranking as high as 8th, they have since dropped to 18th and have looked disjointed and sloppy. Monahan was the glue that held the power play together, there's no doubt.
Can the Jackets goalies continue to look good, specifically Elvis Merzļikins? They will go as far as he can take them, and with that will bring an even more confident Elvis. When he is playing well, very few teams can beat the CBJ.
What's Next: Zach Werenski will now take the ice for the United States in the Four Nations Face-Off, which kicks off this coming Thursday, as the U.S. takes on Finland. The rest of the Jackets will get some much-needed R&R before coming back home to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 22
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