The Blue Jackets continued their early-season road trip with a stop in Los Angeles. And the teams made Eastern fans suffer: a 10:30 pm start, an overtime period that didn’t finish until after 1:00 am, and (to top it off) a 3-2 Columbus loss.
The first period was slow and uneventful for both sides. Each team managed to pick up the scoring touch in the second, with the CBJ ending the frame up a goal. Sam Gagner provided great support, with a fantastic cross-ice pass on a powerplay to deliver a Cam Atkinson tally. The Kings managed to draw even off a Drew Doughty goal, and then sealed the win with an Alec Martinez rebound goal in OT.
While Cleveland sports managed the most impressive Ohio moments of the night, there are some superlatives to consider from the action in LA.
The Good: Brandon Saad
The CBJ’s best forward wouldn’t be silent forever. Brandon Saad found the net in the second period, and picked up his first goal of the season. Off a nice feed from Nick Foligno, Saad rushed down the wing, and waited, waited, waited long enough and let his shot rip.
Brandon Saad almost at the exact same time as Roberto Perez. Unreal! 1-0 #CBJ pic.twitter.com/oRKgS9sc8J
— Buckeye State Hockey (@BuckeyeStHockey) October 26, 2016
Saad’s speed and his shot are both powerful weapons, and it’s nice to see #20 back on the scoreboard. The winger also managed to hold his own against the Kings, just two shot attempts under 50% for the night at 5-on-5 (via Natural Stat Trick).
The Not-So-Great: Shot Differential
The Kings have been the very best shot differential team in the NHL over the past half decade. It’s not too surprising to see that the Kings managed to impose their will again tonight. Even the worst individual LA performers finished above 50% in even strength shot attempts (via Natural Stat Trick).
I’m not willing to call this an outright “bad” situation for the Blue Jackets, as most teams tend to struggle against Los Angeles. Instead, it’s a sign of how much further the CBJ have to go before they’re consistently good.
The Sad (But Not Seriously): Werenski’s Point Streak Ends
Werenski’s early scoring ability has been obscured in non-Ohio media by the (well-deserved) Matthews hype machine. The young defenseman couldn’t build 4 games into 5, and he’ll slip to merely being a point per game player (rather than sitting just above that level).
The actual good news here? We got to watch Zach Werenski play more than 20 minutes against a Stanley Cup contender, and the rookie Jacket was pretty good. The head-to-head shot attempt matchup against Doughty was in the King’s favor (4 attempts for, 9 against), but Werenski did finish just shy of 50% on the night (13-14, via Natural Stat Trick). Drawing that close to even against an elite team is not an easy task.
The Ugly: Late Starts
West coast games serve as a great reminder: the move to the Eastern Conference was a wonderful thing for Columbus fans. Yes, realignment made the playoff situation a bit uneven (half in from the East, yet more than half out West). Also true: those who watched the Jackets will be dragging tomorrow morning. Which is technically today, because this thing ended after midnight.
And, hey! We suffer through more late-game nonsense Thursday and Friday. Luckily, those are the final late CBJ starts of the year.
Jackets are back at it Thursday in Anaheim to face the Ducks.
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