Did you miss anything from the past week at The Hockey News - Columbus Blue Jackets? If you did, we have you covered with the Sunday Recap. Click on each card below to read the stories from the past week.
NEWS & NOTES
Hockey fans in Minnesota allowed a team that boasted Mike Modano and Derian Hatcher to leave town without so much as batting an eyelash. Wonder how they’ll take to a team that features the likes of Michal Bros and Jim Dowd?
Multiple players have been chomped on by the injury bug in the last few weeks. Below are the players who missed some time, or recently came back from IR.
- Zach Werenski missed several games after blocking a shot with his foot.
- Sean Monahan missed a few games for maintenance.
- Mathieu Olivier made his way back after missing several weeks with an upper body injury.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired Head Coach Dean Evason and Steve McCarthy today the club just announced.
They also announced the hiring of veteran head coach Rick Bowness. Bowness most recently coached the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24 and had a record of 98-57-9 record (.625 pct.) in 164 games. He also coached the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
Since the trade, he has two goals and an assist for three points in six games and averages 12:12 time on ice per game. Which is nearly two minutes per than what he was getting in Columbus.
The Blue Jackets have announced that they've added Dysin Mayo on Emergency recall today. The recall is due to Denton Mateychuk's injury he suffered against the Mammoth.
Rick Bowness – Head Coach
- "We asked them to compete and we did. We competed. We played very well."
- "The coach’s job is to give them the structure, give them the details. Their job is to come and compete."
- "Clearly the penalty kill is the one that set us back, so we’ll work on that. We can fix that."
- When asked about his return to coaching: "I love it. I just love it. That's why I came back. That's what I missed the most."
- "The most thing I missed was the interaction with the players. I love that part of coaching, working with the players and talking to the players and helping them get better."
- "That's the Boone Jenner I remember coaching against for a long time. You know he's going to lead the way that way."
- On Jenner's playing style: "I’m glad I’m coaching him because he’s a hard guy to play against because he doesn’t quit."
- "I got after them because I hate playing slow. I hate playing slow."
- "You can’t play fast if you’re hanging onto the puck. That puck’s got to move."
- When asked about KJ's game "He deserved those minutes. He played hard. He’s not the biggest guy, but he competed."
- "There’s a lot of players here I don’t know very well, and the only way I’m going to get to learn about them is to watch that from behind the bench."
- "I'm here because I want to be here. I'm excited to be here, and I think I can help the hockey club."
Cleveland Monsters forward Luca Del Bel Belluz has been named an AHL All-Star for the second straight season. He'll represent the North Division at the AHL All-Star Classic being held at Rockford, IL’s BMO Center, home of the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, from February 10-11.
Elvis Merzlikins
- Merzlikins noted that shots are now coming from farther distances and more predictable angles (like the corners) rather than high-danger areas like the slot.
- He highlighted that the defensemen are doing a better job of "boxing out" opponents, providing him with a clearer line of sight to the puck.
- He praised his teammates for their commitment to blocking shots and playing "sound defensively," especially during late-game pressure.
- Merzlikins observed a positive change in how the team handles the third period, noting that they no longer "back off" but continue to attack even when defending a lead.
In the two games since Rick Bowness has taken over, Voronkov has been pushed down to the third line in favor of Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger. Cole Sillinger has been on the top line, while Johnson was moved up to the second, and it's worked out so far.
When the puck went in the net, I just let out a loud "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH", scaring my pet birds half to death, and chasing the cats out of the living room. Lucky for me, I had a DVR and could rewind it and watch again. I must've watched that goal 500 times that night. Had there been social media at that time, it would've imploded.
GAME RECAPS & PREVIEWS
Mikael Pyyhtiä(1), Charlie Coyle(7-PPG), and Dmitri Voronkov(16-PPG) scored the goals for Columbus, and Jet Greaves made 25 saves in a rare Blue Jackets win. The win halts a four-game winless streak and salvages the four-game road trip.
Series History vs. The Flames
- Columbus is 36-26-0-8 all-time, and 21-10-0-4 at home vs. Calgary.
- The Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 in the last 7 against the Flames.
- The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Calgary last season.
Dante Fabbro(3), Charlie Coyle(8,9-ENG), Zach Werenski(17-PPG), and Boone Jenner(8-GWG) powered the CBJ offense, and Jet Greaves made 29 saves to beat the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.
The Rick Bowness era has begun with a win.
Series History vs. The Canucks
- Columbus is 26-33-2-9 all-time, and 15-15-2-3 at home vs. Vancouver.
- The Blue Jackets has won 5 straight games at home against the Canucks.
- The CBJ went 1-1-0 vs Vancouver last season.
Charlie Coyle(10-PPG), Kirill Marchenko(17), Zach Werenski(18-PPG), and Kent Johnson(5) scored the goals for the Blue Jackets, while Elvis Merzļikins played well in a 4-1 CBJ win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. The win was Merzļikins first since a December 4th win over the Detroit Red Wings.
Up Next: Columbus is back at home on Tuesday to play the Ottawa Senators.
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