A Look At The Jackets Stat Leaders Through 42 Games
The Jackets currently sit last in the Metro Division, and honestly, no one around Columbus is shocked. In this division, anything can happen, but with the Columbus Blue Jackets, "anything" always happens.
There is an urban legend that since Nationwide Arena was built on the site of the old Ohio State Pen, the prison ghosts still haunt the grounds to this day. I have personally dubbed them, "The Ghosts of Irish Broadway." Nationwide Blvd resides on what used to be the heart of the Irish-American community in Columbus, and was nicknamed "Irish Broadway." And so far this season, the curse continues.
Despite how the season is going, players still must play the games. So, let's take a look at the numbers so far through 42 games.
Current Record - 13-20-9 - 8th in the Metro
Goals - 125 goals scored - 17th in the league
Kirill Marchenko - 13 - Marchenko was very slow to get started and was even scratched for two games. He came back, scored some goals, and didn't look back. He scored 13 goals from Nov.2 to Dec. 19, but since he had a hat trick on the 19th, he has now gone 9 games without a goal and has only mustered 1 assist.
Boone Jenner - 13 - Jenner was pacing the CBJ in goals and points until he went down with a broken jaw. He's skating and will most likely wear a cage for the foreseeable future, but the 2024 All-Star selection with no doubt come back and be the leader we know he is.
Assists
Zach Werenski - 24 - Werenski has taken his lumps over the years with a few injuries that were the result of terrible luck. He's leading the Jackets in assists and has been a major playmaker on this team all season. An unfortunate ankle injury has sidelined him for the next month or so, but he should continue to be that guy when he returns.
Ivan Provorov - 19 - Provorov has been fairly consistent all season in terms of putting assists on the board. He'll go a few games without one and then put up a multi-point effort. He's been one of the healthiest players for the Jackets all season and is on pace to have his best season personally in several years in terms of points production.
Goaltending
Elvis Merzlikins - 7-8-6 | .907% - Merzlikins has been far better this season than he was last season. Had it not been for lost leads, his record probably could be better at this point. He also hasn't had a start since December 29th.
The Rookies - CBJ's rookie class currently has 53 points in 41 games, with 44 of those coming from Fantilli and Voronkov. The rookies currently rank 2nd in the NHL for points by rookies and are the only team with two rookies with 20 or more points.
Adam Fantilli - 11G-13A-24 - The young rookie has been everything that was promised. He currently sits tied for second with Marco Rossi in points by rookies and is 9 behind leader Connor Bedard. However, with Bedard being on IR for the next 6 to 8 weeks, this will give Fantilli the chance to pass him at some point, hopefully in the next couple of weeks. He is also first on the CBJ with 105 SOG.
Dmitri Voronkov - 7G-13A-20 - Voronkov came into the NHL and has been a pleasant surprise. The big man was racking up points regularly until the last 10 games. He has 4 points in his last 10 games and was recently taken off of "The Russian Line" in favor of Cole Sillinger, who has been playing very well. Voronkov currently ranks 6th in points by rookies.
Overall Stats
Goals For - 125 - 17th
Goals Against - 154 - 31st
Power Play - 14.5% - 26th
Penalty Kill - 79.8% - 17th
Penalty Mins - 342 - 10th
The Jackets must continue to get healthy and push on. Obviously, at this point, they have little to no shot at the playoffs, so the only thing they can do is continue to play and learn from everything that's happened in the last two seasons. Fans are still showing up and filling the building, it's time the team gives back and puts some wins together. For the greater good of the fanbase and the franchise, they have to have a strong second half.
Next Up: The Jackets are back home on Saturday to battle the Seattle Kraken at 7 p.m.
Join Jason Newland's Columbus Blue Jacket page on Bunches, a new app that connects sports fans. Also, you can watch a new YouTube game show about the Blue Jackets, Around the Fifth Line.