There was a lot to like about Tuesday night's win in Dallas, but the way the team defended is at the top of the list
After CBJ wins, we’ll give three takeaways about what stood out or what we’ll remember from the Blue Jackets’ victory.
BLUE JACKETS 5, STARS 1
1. The Blue Jackets used another strong defensive effort to leave Dallas with a victory.
There were a lot of things to like in Tuesday night’s road triumph, as the Blue Jackets got off to a good start, weathered the Stars’ push in the middle period and then put the game away in the third with some timely scoring.
It’s not easy to hit the road and beat a team that has made three consecutive conference finals, but the Blue Jackets did what they had to do to get the win that evened the season record at 3-3-0.
At the top of the list was the team defensive play. Dallas was without such standout forwards as last season’s team leading scorer, Matt Duchene, and captain Jamie Benn, but there was still a lot of offensive firepower on a squad that entered averaging 3.60 goals per contest.
CBJ at DAL | Recap
In the end, Columbus limited the Stars to just 23 shots on goal, including five apiece in the first and third periods. Dallas often appeared just a bit discombobulated offensively, with passes going into skates or missing their intended targets, and a large reason why was the good sticks and positioning of the Blue Jackets defenders.
“We didn’t give up a whole lot,” head coach Dean Evason said. “They’re a tricky team to play against. They get involved a lot. They go down the backside, and I thought we handled that very well. Obviously they’ve got some special players, and we were able to play the right way and not give up those big scoring opportunities.”
We’ve noted it before, but just how important is defense if you want to be a playoff squad? The top 15 teams in the NHL in scoring defense made the Stanley Cup Playoffs a season ago, so the formula is simple – if you want to be a successful team, you have to keep the puck out of your net. So far this season, the Blue Jackets have allowed just six 5-on-5 goals, the best mark in the league.
One of the best ways to do that is to not allow chances at the netfront, and that was a focus of the Blue Jackets going in.
“I think we knew that they have some firepower up front there,” defenseman Denton Mateychuk said. “It’s one of those things where you just have to try to keep it out of the house in front as much as possible. We knew that was something they’re going to look for is kind of throwing pucks in the middle there, so I think that was one of the keys coming into the game.”
2. And when there were chances, Elvis Merzlikins shut the door in another impressive start.
After Monday’s practice, Evason noted that it was hard to go wrong with picking a goalie so far on the young season. Both Merzlikins and Jet Greaves had played well, so the coaching staff felt like it could flip a coin and end up with a good answer whether it was heads or tails.
It hasn’t been a coin flip but a rotation so far this year, with Greaves and Merzlikins alternating starts through six games. On this night, that meant it was Merzlikins’ turn to get the net, and he earned his second win of the season with 22 saves and upped his season save percentage to .927.
He was at his best in the second period when the Stars turned up the temperature after the Blue Jackets had controlled the opening period. Dallas had 13 shots on goal in the frame and Merzlikins stopped 12 of them, with the only goal a Tyler Seguin redirection from the post, and even that came after the CBJ goalie had denied a 2-on-1 chance earlier in the shift.
“We knew they were going to push,” Evason said. “We had a good first. We knew they were going to come out, and he kept us in that game. Obviously they got one, but he didn’t allow them to get two to tie it up and get energized and the crowd to get into it. So yeah, he played extremely well.”
For all the preseason conjecture about a battle in the Blue Jackets’ net, it’s been a partnership more than anything else so far. CBJ goalies had posted a save percentage of .924 – good for a tie for fifth in the league – entering the game and saw that number only improve after Tuesday’s victory.
“(Jet’s) doing a great job,” Merzlikins said. “I think I’m doing pretty good too, so it’s good, I think, for a team to have two good goalies. I let him rest, and he lets me. I’m a bit older than he is, but that’s good.”
3. Special teams played a major part in the CBJ victory.
The numbers weren’t exactly pretty entering this one, as the Blue Jackets had scored on just 1 of 13 power-play tries in the first five games while allowing eight goals on the penalty kill in 18 chances.
You could point to special teams as a major determining factor in early-season losses at Nashville and vs. New Jersey, but the Blue Jackets won that key battle in Dallas.
Columbus was perfect on the night on both the power play and penalty kill, scoring on both of its man-advantage chances thanks to goals from Boone Jenner and Dmitri Voronkov as well as killing a pair of penalties without incident. It marked the first time this season the Blue Jackets scored multiple power-play goals.
In a league where it’s so difficult to score at 5-on-5, special teams often is the difference maker, and this time those units went the CBJ way.
“We talked about getting our chances on the power play, and it just didn’t go in,” Evason said of some earlier games. “We didn’t score a lot early, but we were fortunate a couple went in tonight. I think the guys take pride in that. Obviously it has to continue to be real good.”
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