It only took two games for the Blue Jackets to go from rolling to reeling.
After a four-game winning streak to cap a stretch with wins in six of seven games, the Jackets have dropped two straight after losing to the Calgary Flames, 5-1, to start a road trip Nov. 5 at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Coming off a stunning 3-2 loss Nov. 2 at the New York Islanders, when allowing goals 29 seconds apart in the game’s final 1:07 spoiled a gutsy effort on tired legs in a back-to-back finale, a more familiar issue sunk them in Calgary.
They ran into another hot goalie, struggling to beat Dustin Wolf despite building big edges in nearly every tracked statistic except goals, the only one that matters. The Flames (4-9-2) scored five goals, four against Jet Greaves, while Wolf made 42 saves against the Blue Jackets (7-6-0).
Calgary also scored in quick bursts against Greaves, including goals 36 seconds apart in the first 1:32 of the game.
“Definitely, when you spot them two goals that quickly, you’re playing from behind all night and that’s never fun,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “We got a big short-handed goal, and I feel like we gathered ourselves, had some chances in the second (period), and that’s when they score two more quick ones on mistakes by us. It’s definitely tough.”
It wasn’t pretty, and the Blue Jackets still have games Nov. 8 at the Vancouver Canucks (7-8-0), Nov. 10 at the Edmonton Oilers (6-5-4) and Nov. 11 at the Seattle Kraken (6-3-4) to finish their trip.
Here are four more takeaways:
Sean Monahan injured against Calgary Flames
Sean Monahan, the Blue Jackets’ top center and biggest catalyst on power plays, sustained an unspecified injury on a hit by Rasmus Andersson in the second period.
It looked like a normal hit behind the Flames’ net, but Monahan skated back to the bench favoring his left arm. He winced while talking to an athletic trainer but finished the period before leaving with 15 minutes left in the third and the Blue Jackets trailing 4-1.
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason told reporters in Calgary that Monahan was being evaluated after the game and didn’t have an update on his condition or availability.
Losing him for a significant stretch could be detrimental to the Blue Jackets’ playoff hopes, just as it was last year during a mid-season wrist injury that kept him out two-plus months. Monahan centers the first line, plays a vital role for the top power play group as the “bumper” in the middle of their 1-3-1 setup, is a strong two-way player and wins a lot of key faceoffs
Adam Fantilli centered Monahan’s line to finish the game, but Evason could go with captain Boone Jenner in that spot. Cole Sillinger also has experience at center, so the coaching staff has solid options down the middle if needed.
Add Wolf to the growing list of goalies the Blue Jackets haven’t been able to solve despite gaining sizable advantages in shots, attempts and scoring chances.
Wolf made a career-high 42 saves to earn the win against Columbus, which had already lost to the Nashville Predators’ Juuse Saros, New Jersey Devils’ Jake Allen and Washington Capitals’ Logan Thompson under similar circumstances.
Those four games account for 31% of the Blue Jackets’ season and 67% of their losses. The good news is their ability to pepper opposing goalies with shots and attempts, but there’s growing frustration with each game they struggle to score enough with that edge.
The Blue Jackets had similar droughts that led to losing streaks last season, when they set a franchise record with 267 goals, and those stretches were one of several factors that kept them two points shy of gaining a playoff spot.
Kirill Marchenko could be a penalty killing threat for Columbus Blue Jackets
Marchenko has logged a total of just 15:48 killing penalties in his four NHL seasons, including a productive 20-second shift in Calgary. Sent into the game at the tail end of a Flames power play late in the first period, he scored the Blue Jackets’ only goal on a breakaway for the first short-handed goal of his career.
Jenner sent Marchenko a pass approaching the Calgary blue line that sprung the Blue Jackets’ leading goal scorer for an uncontested shot that beat Wolf between the pads.
Mixing Marchenko into the end of penalty-kill situations is an interesting twist that adds another concern for opposing teams to think about.
Columbus Blue Jackets lose discipline against Calgary Flames
Going into the game, the Blue Jackets had done a good job limiting odd-man rushes in their first 12 games. Their dedication to playing responsibly was impressive, but for a stretch in the second period they tossed that approach into a garbage can and lit it on fire.
Calgary scored goals by Nazem Kadri and Adam Klapka with 2-on-1 rushes 37 seconds apart in the second, turning a close game into a 4-1 lead that was too large for the Blue Jackets to overcome.
“In the second period, it got away from us because we allowed it to get away from us,” Evason said. “We give them two 2-on-1s. Once thing we praised our group about all year is that we haven’t shot ourselves (in the foot) and … stayed in hockey games until we had an opportunity to win a hockey game. When you get down three goals, you’re not giving yourself an opportunity.”
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
