The Columbus Blue Jackets faced off against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening, trying to bounce back after their loss to the Boston Bruins. The Blue Jackets played without an injured Ryan Murray, meaning Dalton Prout slotted in for the first time this season. Unfortunately, after another slow start the Jackets fell to the Sharks with a final score of 3-2. Where exactly did they go wrong?
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The Good: Zach Werenski
The youngster is showing why he was one of the top prospects in the entire game. Dynamic with the puck on his stick and poised beyond his years, Werenski is the best defensive prospect to come through the Jackets system, ever. It’d hard to keep expectations in check, but you can see all the makings of a star. Playing with Seth Jones once again, Werenski was second on the team in ice time and found himself in advantageous situations all night.
Scoring your first goal is nice, using that tally to keep your team in the game is even better. Although the Jackets fell short, it was no fault of Werenski’s.
ICYMI: Zach Werenski's first NHL goal pic.twitter.com/juOgehS7ZL
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) October 16, 2016
The Bad: Slow Starts
You may have thought to yourself during the first period that the Jackets didn’t really play that poorly, and they didn’t. The Jackets were down 2-0 but had the puck in the Sharks’ offensive zone for stretches of time. The CBJ made few mistakes… and the skillful Sharks took advantage, turning those errors into goals. That’s the difference between a winning team and a losing team. The Sharks have been winning for a while, and they know what it takes on and off the ice. Growth is key for the Jackets this season, and these type of growing pains will be worked out over time.
The Ugly: Oliver Bjorkstrand
The promising winger has yet to find his touch during the first two games of the season. I could have called out players like Brandon Dubinsky or Boone Jenner here, but Bjorkstrand has been darn near invisible. A part of that: Bjorkstrand played the second-fewest minutes of anyone on the CBJ. Bjorkstrand also took a double minor high sticking penalty, but the Jackets managed to kill off the Sharks’ advantage. That mistake did help put Bjorkstrand squarely in the dog house, a place you don’t want to be under John Tortorella.
For the players going through a minor slump, a blessing in disguise is the break between games. Columbus won’t play again until next Friday against the Blackhawks
Tweet of the Game:
The last thing any #CBJ fan wants to hear is “patience”. I don’t know that you have any alternative.
— T1TESLA (@T1TESLA) October 16, 2016
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