The Blue Jackets' record is 38-27-12 with 88 points. They currently sit 5th in the Metro, 11th in the East, and 14th in the NHL. They're also two points out of a playoff spot.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are not in a good place right now. After winning 20 of 27 games and climbing their way out of the Eastern Conference basement, they've now lost six straight and six of seven and find themselves looking up at the wild card positions yet again.
A team that was once sitting second in the Metro now finds itself asking a thousand questions about how it got there. The atmosphere surrounding the team is not good. They have five games to change that.
Are there any positives to take from this recent slide? The short answer is yes, but not many.
The one positive that stands out, and quite frankly has stood out all year, is the play of goaltender Jet Greaves.
In the recent 1-6-1 slide, Jet Greaves has played in five of those games and has a record of 1-3-1. But the losses aren't his fault. In the games Greaves has played, he gave up 2.60 goals per game and had a SV% of .908.
Why aren't the losses his fault? Because in the losses he's taken, the CBJ have scored a grand total of 6 goals. You read that right, six. That's 1.50 goals scored per game. In the two losses Elvis has taken, the Jackets are scoring two goals per game. The Blue Jackets' offense is nonexistent.
His .908 SV% aligns with his .909% that he's amassed through the entirety of the season. Had it not been for the 5-2 drubbing by Carolina at home on March 31, where he had a .875 SV%, he would've moved up a tad.
Greaves has definitely been the lone bright spot for this struggling team in the last few weeks.
Even Elvis Merzlikin's numbers aren't terrible. His SV% is a little low at .871%, but his GAA is 2.80 in his last five games, which is far better than the 3.40 he's accumulated throughout the season.
The Blue Jackets have five games to sneak into the playoffs, but it's not looking good.
Next Up For Columbus: The Blue Jackets are in Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Tuesday.
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