The Jackets deserved better against the Ducks
It felt like the Jackets deserved a better fate against the Ducks. Just from watching the game with the naked eye, they seemed to have more chances, more shots, shot attempts, and pace. But, it's the powerplay that let them down. The CBJ rang a few off of posts and had plenty of shot attempts, they just couldn't get any through.
Per Natural Stat Trick, the Jacket's "Win O'Meter" was 80.7%.
So then why did they lose? Simply put, they couldn't solve Lukas Dostal. When a team has seven PPs, they need to score on at least two of them, the Jackets scored on just one, by Emil Bemstrom.
Game Stats
- The CBJ went 1 for 7 on the PP.
- The Jackets did hold Anaheim scoreless on their 4 PP chances.
- At one point in the game, the CBJ were dominant in the faceoff circle, but they ended up losing that battle, winning just 38.6%.
- It wasn't a very physical game, the CBJ were only credited with 6 hits in the game. The Ducks had 11.
- The Jackets took 37 shots, the average distance of those shots was 39.5 ft. Earlier in the game it was closer by a few feet. It seemed the Ducks were forcing them to take bad shots later in the game. The Ducks average distance was 36.8 ft. They're shots got closer as the game went on, indicating they were attacking the net more.
- Columbus had 37 shots, and nearly 80 shot attempts. It feels like this year, they're generating more shot attempts. This could be a byproduct of those 7 PPs however.
Player Notes
- Adam Fantilli was "A Force" as HC Pascal Vincent said after the game. He won 50% of his faceoffs. Vincent said after the game that he is trusted to take critical faceoffs, and that is why he was out there to start the game, and to take the opening faceoff in OT. He now has goals in back-to-back games and has 4 points on the season. FWIW he is now tied with Connor Bedard in points.
- Fantilli was also the only + forward for the CBJ last night. Fantilli was in fact "a force" last night.
- Young David Jiricek only played 8 minutes last night, which was 12 shifts. In a tight, close game, this isn't too far from the norm.
- Mathieu Olivier and Justin Danforth only played 6 and 8 minutes respectively. It's clear Vincent shortened his bench in the 3rd period. I don't think that's a slight towards them, it's just how the game goes.
- Ivan Provorov is now tied for the team lead in points. He has 5 assists on the season.
- Johnny Gaudreau only has 3 points through 6 games. He made some errant passes last night and just seems a bit out of sorts. He needs to get going, and I'm sure he will. He's been playing with Kirill Marchenko and Boone Jenner, so as much as we don't like to see the line blender sometimes, maybe it's time to move some guys around?
- Elvis Merzlikins played well at times, and made some very big saves throughout the game. A puck in off of Zach Werenski, and a bad turnover that led to a goal is what sealed the game for the Ducks. Merzlikins and his team deserved better against the Ducks.
Quotes
- Zach Werenski said the tying goal went in off of his stick
- Although they only scored one goal on the PP, Werenski thinks that their PP moved the puck well and had good chances.
- Adam Fantilli says the team is building confidence and trust in each other every day, the wins will come.
- Fantilli understands that in the last two games, having lots of scoring chances and failing to execute is frustrating, but they will continue to work.
- Fantilli on scoring his first home goal "Scoring feels great, but winning feels better."
- Coach Vincent said he was disappointed for the players when it came to the powerplays. They created a lot of opportunities and just couldn't beat Dostal.
- Vincent says Fantilli is an NHL player, he doesn't care about the age, and that he deserved the minutes he played last night.
- Vincent trusts Fantilli to take key faceoffs, and he continues to gain that trust.
- Coach Vincent says one of the things they keep working on is moving the puck quick, especially on the PP. It's something they will continue to work on.
The Jackets now have points in 3 straight games and will travel to Montreal to face the Habs on Thursday. Saturday, they will be back home to face the New York Islanders. Both games could go either way, but the Jackets need to keep pace with the top Metro teams early.
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